New Jersey Route 9 truck crash knocks out power, causes gridlock

A tractor‑trailer traveling south on Route 9 in the Old Bridge‑Marlboro border area struck low‑hanging wires, toppling four utility poles—two owned by Jersey Central Power & Light and two by Verizon. The incident forced the closure of Route 9 north at Route 520 and knocked out traffic‑signal power along the corridor, creating a major traffic jam.

Utility crews worked through the night to restore service. About 1,100 households initially lost electricity, with outages later reduced to roughly 700. No injuries were reported. Local officials, including Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik, confirmed the utility companies’ commitment to restore power as quickly as possible.