Gasoline Tanker Overturns, Explodes On Route 37, But No Serious Injuries: Manchester PD

MANCHESTER, NJ — A tractor-trailer tanker loaded with 8,700 gallons of gasoline overturned and exploded early Wednesday morning on Route 37 as the driver hit a disabled car that had hit a deer, Manchester police said.

The crash happened just before 3 a.m., between Buckingham Drive and Commonwealth Boulevard, Manchester Lt. James Komsa said. The road remained closed until about 3:30 p.m., authorities said.

Svilen Ivanov, 46, of Voorhees, was driving a 2006 Mack tractor pulling a 2003 tanker trailer filled with 8,700 gallons of gasoline east on Route 37 when he came upon a 2017 Honda Civic that was disabled in the middle of the road after hitting a deer.

Marissa Patterson, 18, of the Forked River section of Lacey Township, was driving east on Route 37 when the deer ran out in front of her, Komsa said. After hitting the deer, the Honda spun and became disabled in the road.

Patterson got out of the car and was standing safely away on the side of the road calling police when the gasoline tanker collision happened, he said.

The Mack truck hit the Honda, driving the Honda forward, and causing the Mack to swerve and hit the concrete center barrier, Komsa said. That caused the front of the truck to separate from its trailer and it drove over the concrete barrier before coming to a stop on the westbound shoulder of Route 37.

The trailer then overturned in the eastbound lanes, causing the gasoline to spill and explode. The explosion set fire to both lanes of the road, compromising its integrity, and damaging surrounding businesses and the adjacent wooded area, Komsa said.

Patterson was not injured. Ivanov was taken to Community Medical Center for precautionary reasons, he said.

Route 37 remained closed for several hours for the investigation, cleanup and decontamintion. The Ocean County Sheriff's Office urged caution in the area as construction workers were still at the crash site cleaning up.

Assisting at the scene were members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester EMS, Manchester Emergency Management, Berkeley Hazmat Unit, Lakehurst and Toms River Police Departments, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, Ocean County Department of Health, New Jersey State Police, NJ Department of Transportation, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and Jersey Central Power & Light.

Patrolman Jesse Hoydis, Patrolman Michael O’Hara, and Sgt. Paul Bachovchin of the department’s Traffic Safety Unit are investigating the crash.

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