Route 1 Strip Mall Evacuated Due to Natural Gas Leak

Several businesses located in a small strip mall on Brunswick Pike (Route 1) in Lawrence Township were evacuated and forced to close early today (Monday, Dec. 16) after a freak accident involving a trash truck caused a natural gas leak and an electrical hazard, police and fire officials said.

The precise circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation, but police said a Mack roll-off truck from Carnevale Disposal of Hamilton Township snagged and ripped down an overhead electrical service wire and damaged a natural gas line at the rear of the Route 1 Plaza strip mall at 2901 Brunswick Pike about 1:35 p.m.

Police said the driver of the truck – identified as Richard A. Lambertson, 60, of Pemberton Township – was not hurt.

Township police, utility workers from Public Service Electric & Gas Co., and volunteer firefighters from Lawrence Township’s three fire companies – Slackwood, Lawrence Road and Lawrenceville – and Prospect Heights Fire Co. from Ewing Township all responded to the scene.

Several businesses in the strip mall – including Ideal Tile Co., Geico and Domino’s Pizza – were evacuated as PSE&G personnel and firefighters worked to shut off the leak and used special meters to monitor the levels of natural gas both inside and outside the building.

As a precaution, firefighters also laid a hose to supply water to the scene from a nearby hydrant just in case a fire broke out. Police closed the right southbound lane of Brunswick Pike to keep traffic away from that fire hose.

The gas leak was halted, power was shut off to the damaged wire, and the scene was deemed safe by about 3:30 p.m.

But with no gas or electrical service at the strip mall, all the stores were forced to close for the day, officials said, noting that PSE&G workers planned to return and make permanent repairs tomorrow (Tuesday).