Dump Truck Snags Wires, Snaps Pole On Route 547 In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — A dump truck with its bed partly raised hit wires and snapped a utility pole on Route 547 Tuesday morning, shutting down the road for several hours, Manchester police said.

The driver, Jason Veloso, 33, of Rahway, was not injured in the crash that happened just before 7 a.m., Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco said.

Veloso was driving a black 2000 Kenworth dump truck and pulled onto Route 547 southbound from the property of 3858 Route 547, Manco said. The truck's bed was partially raised and the elevated rear open-box hit the power lines that crossed the road, pulling on them and snapping the utility pole, Manco said.

The pole wound up lying across the truck with the wires on the road, he said. As a result, Route 547 was closed in both directions between Route 571 and Ridgeway Boulevard while the pole and wires were repaired, he said.

Jackson Township police, EMTs and firefighters from the Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services, the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, and the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department assisted. The investigation is continuing but driver error appears to be the primary contributing factor, Manco said.

Patrolman Michael O’Hara of the department’s Traffic Safety Unit is investigating.

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