Driver Flees After Crash Breaks Utility Pole In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Toms River police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that brought down a utility pole Monday morning, knocking out power to part of Toms River.

The crash on Cedar Grove Road near Mehar Court was reported at 5:49 a.m., police said. Cedar Grove Road remains closed to traffic,

The vehicle, a 2010 Mercury Mariner, was found on its side near the broken utility pole that was blocking the road, police said, and no sign of the driver.

The driver had run away from the crash site before police arrived, but authorities said there are several leads being investigated to identify the driver at the time of the crash.

Power to the area was out for a few hours, police said, but service had been restored by Jersey Central Power & Light by about 9:30 a.m.

Cedar Grove Road is expected to remain closed for the rest of Monday, police said, while the pole is replaced and repairs are made.

Officer Robert Westfall of the Toms River Police Traffic Safety unit is investigating.