Rockslide During Rainstorm Damages Parked Cars Near Hudson County/Bergen County Border

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A rockslide during Monday's rainstorm caused damage to several parked cars near the Palisades Hills in North Bergen, a mile south of the Bergen County border, local officials said. Now, police have closed off part of a main road, and officials are asking for better protections.

The police have closed off four blocks of Kennedy Blvd., which runs parallel to the Hudson River through Hudson County, said a spokesperson for the town of North Bergen. The rockslide area is a mile south of Fairview.

North Bergen leaders called for Hudson County officials "to conduct an independent engineering and geological review of the cliffs along John F. Kennedy Boulevard East and River Road from Weehawken to North Bergen. This will identify potential risks and allow for measures to be implemented to ensure the safety of residents and properties below."

Early forecasts say yet another rainstorm could come to the area late Sunday into Monday.

'Created By Natural Conditions'

A town spokesperson said that "a number" of cars behind the Duchess Apartment building at 7601 River Road were damaged by the rocks on Monday.

A group of engineers representing the Township, Hudson County, and the property owner met on-site Monday and Tuesday and determined the incident was unrelated to any development or construction on River Road, the town said.

"The engineers determined that the rock slide was created by natural conditions including heavy rain and roots and vegetation growing into the rock formations for many years," said a North Bergen spokesperson.

The North Bergen Planning Board requires all development projects that impact the cliff to install protective netting and fencing.

This was not required for the Duchess because the developers did not touch the cliff, the spokesperson said. The Township has been considering an ordinance requiring protective netting for all projects below the cliff going forward.

“The safety and well being of our residents are always our top priorities and we are extremely grateful that no one was injured as a result of this unfortunate event,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “Our focus now is addressing the aftermath and taking proactive measures to ensure that this does not happen again, because the amount of rain we received that night was not a one-time event.”

The downpour Sunday into Monday dropped more than 2 inches of rain in the area, and followed several major rainstorms this fall, including one on Friday, Sept. 29 that flooded roads in North Jersey (see photos here).

The Duchess property has hired a company to clean up the debris, which may take several days because "they are waiting for the cliff side to settle and any remaining unstable rocks to fall," said the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, North Bergen police have temporarily closed off Kennedy Blvd. from 74th to 78th streets (located just north of the Duchess) the town said.