36 Crashes, Fire, Power Outages In Toms River Over Chaotic Weekend

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man has been charged with assault by auto after a crash Friday on Main Street where his vehicle rolled over onto a bicyclist, pinning him under the vehicle, Toms River police said Wednesday.

That crash was one of 36 motor vehicle crashes that Toms River police had to answer over the weekend, which saw repeated power outages and traffic signal outages, along with other issues and a major fire, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

One outage, on Saturday, lasted more than five hours, affecting more than 8,000 homes, according to Jersey Central Power & Light.

In the Main Street crash, Neal Wallach, 42, of Toms River, was charged with assault by auto and received summonses for reckless driving and disregard of a stop sign in the crash that shut down Main Street on Friday afternoon.

Wallach was driving west "at a high rate of speed" on Dayton Avenue about 1:55 p.m. and ran the stop sign at Main Street, Messina said. As he went into the intersection, Wallach's vehicle was hit by a vehicle that driving north that had the right of way, Messina said.

The force of the impact Wallach's vehicle to roll over and strike a bicyclist, pinning him under the vehicle, she said.

The bicyclist sustained serious injuries and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment, Messina said, and Wallach was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment.

The crash remains under investigation by the Toms River Police Department Traffic Unit and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, she said.

That crash happened about half an hour after a crash on Hooper Avenue in front of Toms River Intermediate School East that shut down the road and caused widespread power outages, Messina said.

Caroline Meehan, 54, of Brick, told police she was driving north on Hooper Avenue when she blacked out, Messina said. Meehan's vehicle ran off the road and hit a utility pole, bringing down live wires on her vehicle.

Callers who reported the crash that happened about 1:20 p.m. said Meehan was having difficulty breathing. She was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment, and JCP&L responded to repair the pole.

At 2 a.m. Saturday, a Toms River woman hit a utility pole at Yorkshire Drive and Continental Avenue, bringing down wires, Messina said.

Kelly Cuthbert, 25, of Toms River, was driving west on Continental Drive and using her cell phone, when her vehicle left the road and hit the pole, she said.

Cuthbert was not injured but was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, Messina said. She received summonses for DUI, careless driving, failing to maintain lane, and a cell phone violation. The accident remains under investigation.

There were more power outages on Saturday, with the most extensive one outage happening when a truck snagged low-hanging telecom wires on Silverton Road about 11 a.m., according to Chris Hoenig, a spokesman for JCP&L.

Hoenig said the snag created a domino effect of equipment damage back to a nearby substation and extensive repairs because of the damage to individual service.

Messina said that in addition to that outage, there were scattered outages Saturday that disrupted traffic signals, which added to the issues Toms River police faced as a result of the fire at The Fairways of Bey Lea.

"I would like to take a minute and thank all of the dispatchers, EMS, fire, Class I officers, and patrol officers," Police Chief Mitchell Little said. "Every day they show up and give their best to our community. Some days are harder than others, and this weekend was a true testament to their dedication, professionalism, and abilities. Everyone did an outstanding job and I am very proud to work among the best of the best!"