Sparking, Live Wires Trap Driver, Injures 2 On Jersey Shore Road

WALL, NJ — A driver was trapped inside their vehicle and two people were injured Monday night after live power lines came down across Route 138, Wall Township Police said.

During the overnight hours, police said Wall Township Emergency Services responded to the area of Route 138 and Route 18 for a report of a downed utility pole and live power lines across the roadway.

Once first responders arrived at the scene, they found live power lines spanning both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 138, with a portion of the line resting on top of an occupied vehicle.

The driver was trapped inside their vehicle until utility crews could safely disable the line, police said. A section of the power line was also in contact with the center guardrail, which the Fire Department believed may have become energized.

Prior to the road being closed, police said thirteen vehicles drove into the low-hanging wires, resulting in cracked or shattered windshields.

Two occupants also reported minor injuries, with one person transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with a head injury, Wall Police Lt. Steven Nash told Patch.

According to Nash, the injuries happened as a vehicle drove through the downed wires with several other cars, causing moderate damage to the windshields. As of Tuesday morning, an update on their status was not available.

“When I was driving down, these three big, black wires hit the windshield of my car,” one driver told News 12 NJ after wires came down on her windshield. “I didn’t know what happened. I looked back and saw sparks coming out of the pole.”

According to Wall Police, a pole located on East Hurley Pond Road leading to Route 138 East was discovered to be the probable initial cause of the outages and wires down.

As a safety precaution, police closed both directions of Route 138, East Hurley Pond Road, and both Route 18 ramps leading onto Route 138.

Power outages were also reported at several major intersections, including:

• 18th Avenue and New Bedford Road
• Route 138 and Club Drive
• Route 138 and Allenwood Road
• Route 34 and Allenwood Road

The NJ Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) also responded to the scene and established detours with the assistance of Wall Township Police, Spring Lake Police and Howell Township Police.

JCP&L crews responded and ultimately cut power to the affected lines, allowing Route 138 to be safely reopened in both directions around 1:30 a.m. All previously affected traffic signals have since been restored.

As of Tuesday morning, police said under 20 customers are reported with power outages, and East Hurley Pond Road remains closed due to downed poles and wires, with JCP&L actively working at the scene.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation, authorities said.

In an update posted Tuesday afternoon, Wall Township Police said that while they're aware of reports suggesting that a dump truck may have been involved in bringing down utility wires during the incident, they are still actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the event.

"While it is possible that a dump truck made contact with communication lines, potentially triggering a chain reaction involving power lines, no witnesses have reported seeing a dump truck cause the wires to come down," police said. "As such, the exact cause remains unconfirmed."

Wall Township Police said they are working closely with JCP&L and other agencies to determine what occurred. Police said updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Anyone with information on the incident is being asked to contact the Wall Township Police Department at 732-449-4500.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional information on those injured and police investigation into the incident.