2 Juveniles Charged In Parkway Culvert Arson: State Police

BRICK, NJ — Two juveniles have been arrested in connection with the culvert fire on Jan. 19 that shut down the Garden State Parkway at Interchange 91 for nearly 10 hours, New Jersey State Police announced Wednesday night.

The two juveniles, who were identified only as Ocean County residents, were arrested Tuesday and charged with arson, burglary, criminal mischief, interference with transportation, and defiant trespassing, state police said. They were released pending a future court date.

State police said the juveniles were identified "through various investigative means," and during the investigation detectives discovered they had recently burglarized a building owned by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority adjacent the Garden State Parkway 91 north commuter lot.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office is handling prosecution, state police said.

The fire in the drainage culvert, which was reported about 5 p.m. on Jan. 19 produced billowing smoke that forced authorities to shut down traffic in both directions about 5:15 p.m.

The fire was finally brought under control when firefighters sealed both ends of the culvert and pumped fire suppressant foam into the system from the median access covers, and it was declared out about 2 a.m. on Jan. 20.

Brick Township Fire Chief Kevin Batzel said fighting the fire was a challenge because the culvert, which is 66 inches in diameter and 300 feet long, has several jogs in it that limited access to the fire.

"The culvert isn't a straight shot," Batzel said Wednesday. That meant firefighters could not simply pour water on it because they couldn't reach all of the fire.

"That's why the Parkway had to be shut down, so we could access the manhole covers in the middle," he said.

The fire suppressant foam allowed them to smother the fire, Batzel said.

State police on Jan. 20 announced the fire had been ruled arson. State police said a group was seen running from the culvert into the Evergreen Woods Park apartment complex nearby after setting the fire. Authorities have not said what was used to start the blaze.

The Turnpike Authority on Tuesday awarded a pair of contracts totaling $3.5 million for the repair work that must be done after the fire destroyed the resin lining and damaged the original concrete, and additionally caused significant damage to parts of the original culvert surface, and to the connecting stormwater drainage system and treatment devices.

The contract award says the fire destroyed the liner inside the culvert, and additionally caused significant damage to parts of the original culvert surface, and to the connecting stormwater drainage system and treatment devices.

The culvert was installed during the original construction of the Parkway in the mid-1950s, and the liner, which Turnpike Authority spokesman Thomas Feeney described as a resin that cured to the surface of the concrete, was installed years later.

"This work is being expedited in order to make permanent repairs to the culvert and drainage system as soon as possible," the contract award said.

"While no information is released regarding most juvenile cases, the New Jersey State Police is releasing the above information today in response to public interest regarding the alleged offense," state police said. "No additional information on the investigation or juvenile complaints will be released at this time, in accordance with the strict confidentiality requirements of juvenile matters and juvenile records. Likewise, Family Court proceedings involving juveniles are closed to the public, and the identities of juveniles involved are kept confidential."

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