Crime & Safety

Power Outage Affects Mall, Route 37 Traffic Lights

Around 8:30 p.m., Clifton and Vaughn lights malfunctioned

Heavy rains amid a thunderstorm affected major intersections and shopping plazas after 8 p.m. yesterday, resulting in malfunctioning traffic lights and a loss of power elsewhere.

Traffic lights at Route 37 and Clifton were among the affected intersections, as police directed vehicles to go east or west to the next functioning traffic light. Route 37 and Vaughn was also affected.

Toms River Police and state Department of Transportation officers assisted with managing traffic amid heavy rains.

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Motorists attempting to cross Route 37 on either avenue faced delays, while those traveling along Route 37 were not be significantly impacted.

The delays come after heavy rains passed through the area yesterday afternoon and into the evening, with reports that the traffic signals were malfunctioning into 10 p.m.

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Traffic signals at other cross streets such as Coolidge and Garfield Avenues and near Bachelor Street are functioning normally.

At around 9 p.m.. the storm reportedly affected power at the Ocean County Mall, Hooper and Oak Avenues. While street lights in the large parking lot of the mall were working, power at a portion of the mall itself was out, closing the plaza early. The mall was scheduled to be open through 9:30 p.m. Friday night.

At 6:30 a.m. this morning, Jersey Central Power and Light reported no power outages for customers served in Ocean County. In Ocean Township, Monmouth County, 500 customers or so were experiencing a power outage, the only power outage reflected in the power company’s current system outage map.


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