Mercedes Driver Tries To Pass Front-End Loader, Hits Utility Pole On Route 9

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Manchester Township man suffered minor injuries Monday when his Mercedes hit a utility pole on Route 9 as he tried to pass a slow-moving front-end loader, Toms River police said.

Maurice Tobin, 62, of Whiting, was driving a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLB south on Route 9 behind the front-end loader about 3 p.m. when the crash happened, police said.

As the front-end loader tried to turn left into a private driveway, Tobin tried to pass the vehicle but swerved into a utility pole to avoid hitting the front-end loader, police said.

The crash, near 1859 Route 9 where construction is taking place, brought down a pole with a transformer, witnesses said. A photo shared by Exit 82 Scanner News on Facebook showed the pole snapped and hanging by the wires.

Tobin was issued a summons for careless driving, police said.

Traffic was detoured for several hours while the pole and wires were repaired.

Toms River Patrol Officer Taylor Boschetti was investigating the crash.