DUI Crash Causes Extended Water Street Closure In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Bayville man has been charged with driving under the influence after his pickup truck hit a utility pole on Water Street and got tangled in the wires, police said Monday evening.

Water Street was expected to remain closed between Robbins Street and Hooper Avenue most of the day on Tuesday, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office said Monday, while the pole is replaced and the wires repaired.

Drivers should avoid the area unless absolutely necessary, as traffic will be jammed on nearby streets.

The crash happened about 3:30 p.m., said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

Richard Heaney, 56, of Bayville, was driving east on Water Street when he lost control of his pickup truck, Messina said.

The pickup hit a utility pole and broke it, and several cable and power lines got tangled around his truck, she said. The pickup wound up in the parking lot of the Riverview Point apartment complex, and the pole was lying across Water Street with the wires burning in the road, Messina said.

Heaney was not injured, Messina said. He was arrested and charged with careless driving, reckless driving, failure to maintain a lane, and driving under the influence, she said.

The damage to the pole and wires caused widespread power outages, though most of those were restored fairly quickly.

Emergency crews were expected to work throughout the night, Messina said.

The accident is under investigation by Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Ryan Fitzgerald.

Water Street in downtown Toms River is expected to be closed from Hooper Avenue to Robbins Street for about 24 hours following a crash Monday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash, which happened before 4 p.m., took down a utility pole on Water Street, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office said in an alert.

The downed pole caused a power outage that initially affected about 700 homes and businesses, but service had been restored to most of those affected as of about 4:45 p.m.

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