Crime & Safety

Truck Snags Utility Wire on Route 166, Snapping Pole and Closing Road

Detours in place on Route 166 as of Tuesday afternoon

Police are investigating a Tuesday afternoon crash on Route 166 that caused the road to be shut in both directions. 

The route is closed as of late Tuesday afternoon and a detour is in place after a dump truck carrying a back hoe caught on utility wires and snapped a pole at about 2 p.m., said Toms River Chief of Police Michael Mastronardy. 

The driver of the truck, Frank Lustig, was uninjured in the crash, the chief said. 

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According to Officer David Bartoshek, the arm of the back hoe was 16 feet in the air, two more feet more than allow by statute.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation's emergency response team responded and assisted with traffic that was detoured onto Colonial, Rivercrest and Suburban Drives while utility crews made repairs, Mastronardy said. 

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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