A hit-and-run accident in which a tractor-trailer struck a utility pole at Keefe Road and Yeger Drive has knocked out power to homes in the immediate area, Lawrence Township police confirmed.
Sgt. Michael Yeh said witnesses told police that the tractor-trailer initially damaged one utility pole but that impact caused a chain reaction that led to a second utility pole snapping and a live electrical wire falling to the ground.
Police, who were notified of the accident at 10:53 a.m. today (Thursday, Dec. 27), arrived to find the wire burning in the grass alongside the road.
Police officers and volunteer firefighters from Slackwood Fire Co. blocked the roads and detoured traffic and pedestrians away from the burning wire. PSE&G utility personnel responded and had power turned off to the fallen wire within a half-hour.
Aided by information from witnesses, police are working to identify the tractor-trailer, which Yeh said fled the area after hitting the first utility pole.
He said PSE&G personnel plan to begin work around 2 p.m. today to replace the two damaged poles.
At 12:45 p.m. PSE&G’s online power outage map showed that between 501 and 2,000 customers in Lawrence Township were without power, however it was unclear if all of those were because of the hit-and-run accident or if today’s strong wind gusts were responsible for some of the outages.
