Lacey Cops: Freehold Man Escapes Burning Car

A Freehold man was traveling down Route 539 late Thursday afternoon in Lacey when his 2006 Volkswagen Passat caught on fire, Lt. Michael DiBella said.

Lacey police received a 911 call reporting a car fire on Route 539, near mile marker 16.3 in Forked River at 4:17 p.m. Officer Michael Eden responded and arrived on the scene. The preliminary investigation revealed that the driver, Joseph Elia, 63, was heading northbound when he heard a loud noise, DiBella said.

Elia pulled over to the side of the road, got out of the car and saw it was on fire. The car was quickly engulfed in flames, which spread to a section of woods on the east side of the roadway, he said.

The Forked River, Bamber Lakes, Barnegat, and Warren Grove fire departments responded to extinguish the blaze,. The New Jersey State Forest Fire Service, Lacey Township EMS, and the Barnegat Police Department also assisted, DiBella said.

Elia was uninjured. Route 539 was not closed, but northbound and southbound traffic had to be alternated during the fire, he said.