Hazlet MVC Reaches Capacity Less Than One Hour Into Reopening

HAZLET, NJ – Early Friday morning, Hazlet Motor Vehicle Commission customers returned to a scene that was eerily reminiscent of the past few weeks. Save for yesterday's office closure after a report of an illness on the premises, the past two weeks have seen lines wrapped around the Airport Plaza shopping center and into the rear parking lot. Friday saw crowds still joining the queue even as MVC officials began to turn individuals away shortly after the office opened at 8 a.m. This time, customer capacity was reached in less than one hour, according to a Hazlet Township Police Department alert.

“Please be advised that the Hazlet Motor Vehicle has reached the maximum number of customers for today, Friday, July 17, 2020,” wrote Hazlet police in a notification to residents. The notification came at 8:55 a.m., less than an hour after the MVC office opened to customers.

On Friday afternoon, MVC spokesperson William Connolly told Patch that the capacity for each agency can change on a daily basis.

"Each morning, the MVC establishes the total number of customers that each agency can serve that day, based on an agency’s transaction types, size and staffing. Tickets are given out up to that number, and the remaining customers are required to disperse," said Connolly.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission does not release figures on each day’s capacity, according to the spokesperson.

Since New Jersey MVC agencies opened their doors to in-person service on July 7, scenes of crowds, traffic congestion and in-line altercations have been reported throughout the state. The day after the Hazlet office reopened, the maximum customer capacity was reached in two hours, with the agency only guaranteeing service for the first 250 individuals. Read more: Hazlet MVC Reaches Capacity In Two Hours, Turns Away Crowd

“I can’t even tell you how long the line was because it went from the DMV door down the storefronts to the left and then wrapped around the building. And there were still people coming,” said one customer, Stephanie Sabatini, of the Friday morning queue.

Sabatini guessed that more than a few of those in line had been unsuccessful the day before, positing that some customers may not have realized that the agency would be closed on Thursday. Hazlet police announced Wednesday evening that the office would, in fact, be closed for the entirety of July 16. Read more: Hazlet MVC Closes Thursday After Report Of Illness

“They shut down yesterday to clean, which wasn’t announced till late the night before so I’m sure a lot of them were people who tried to come yesterday,” Sabatini said.

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