South Brunswick Police Chief: "This Is An Unprecedented Storm"

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — South Brunswick has been crippled by this late winter nor'easter: Thousands of residents will go to bed without power on a cold, windy night and trees and telephone poles are down all over the Township. That's not to mention the dozens of accidents that have occurred on South Brunswick roadways. Rt. 1, Rt. 27 and Rt. 522 are impassable due to fallen trees.

Please just stay indoors, police ask.

South Brunswick public schools are closed Thursday, March 8, and three schools don't even have power.

"This is an unprecedented snowstorm; it has crippled our roadways," said South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka. "Fallen trees and heavy snow have blocked most roads and caused widespread power outages."

About 80 telephone and electrical lines fell in the snow and police were called to 50 car accidents on Wednesday. That's not to mention the nearly 200 calls for drivers stuck in the snow.

"With over 100 trees down, three schools without power, neighborhoods without power, and the township in a State of Emergency, we cannot in good conscious risk the safety of our children and faculty," said Superintendent Scott Feder. The closure of school tomorrow will mean students have to go to school during their scheduled spring break.

Feder was adamant about his decision.

"Cutting into the main week of spring break is not something any of us want to hear, but in case you haven’t looked out your window, assuming you can even see out of your window, the Township is dealing with seriously unsafe conditions," Feder said.

One hundred trees fell in South Brunswick, although luckily — so far — none fell on homes as they did in Matawan and Middletown, NJ today. A tree did fall on a Township patrol car, as seen below:

"One officer narrowly escaped serious injury when a tree crashed through his windshield," said Hayducka. "Another officer became trapped when electrical wires fell on both sides of her patrol car."

PSE&G reports that more than 4,800 homes in South Brunswick have lost power. Police headquarters, one of the few places in the area with power tonight, is working off a generator. South Brunswick declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon, which enables them to bring in extra help from the state.

"Our 911 phone lines have been inundated with calls. We are currently handling dozens of calls. There is some unbelievable work being done by police, fire, EMS and public works crews. It will take days for this cleanup to occur," said Chief Hayducka.

A warming and charging center will be available at the North Brunswick Municipal Building for residents that do not have power and need a place to stay warm. You are asked to bring a blanket and a pillow for your comfort. This is not a shelter, just an area to stay warm and charge devices. Food will not be available. The center will be available throughout the evening.

Hayducka also asked that all non-emergency calls go to (732) 329-4646.