Crime & Safety
Squirrel Causes Power Outage In Howell, Freehold Township
Howell police closed Route 9 intersections because traffic signals were not operating. More than 10,000 customers were affected, JCP&L said.
HOWELL, NJ — A power outage that affected more than 10,000 homes and businesses on Saturday and led to police shutting down Route 9 intersections apparently was caused by a squirrel, authorities said.
The power outage affected more than 6,700 customers in Howell and 3,300 in Freehold Township, according to Jersey Central Power & Light's website.
Howell police reported JCP&L told them a squirrel got into the Howell Road substation.
Find out what's happening in Howellfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The outage started late Saturday morning but power was restored by about 1 p.m., according to Jersey Central Power & Light.
Howell Township police said the outage affected traffic signals along Route 9, and they shut down intersections crossing Route 9 for safety reasons.
Find out what's happening in Howellfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Messages left for JCP&L officials seeking additional information were not immediately returned.
Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Howell Patch on Facebook. Follow Freehold Patch on Facebook.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
