Little Egg Woman Charged In Crash That Brought Down Wires On 37

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Little Egg Harbor woman was charged with careless driving after a crash Monday evening that took down a utility pole, started a brush fire and caused traffic issues into Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Denise McKinnon, 43, was heading west on Lakehurst Road and approaching Route 37 at about 7:30 p.m. when she crossed the center line and hit a utility pole, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

The utility pole snapped from the impact and live wires fell to the ground, sparking and starting a brush fire that caused damage to the property at 591 Lakehurst Road, Messina said.

JCP&L responded and shut off the power to the lines so firefighters from Toms River and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service could extinguish the fire, she said.

Crews worked through the night and into the middle of Tuesday to replace the utility pole, leading to the closure of the Lakehurst Road ramp eastbound from Route 37 and a reduction on Lakehurst Road to Route 37.

McKinnon refused medical treatment at the scene. She was issued citations for failure to maintain a lane and careless driving, Messina said.

Toms River Patrolman John Carolan is investigating.

This article contains additional reporting by Karen Wall.