New Jersey utility crews work to restore power to thousands impacted by Tuesday storm

News 12 caught up with JCP&L crews in Old Bridge where a tree knocked out power to 67 homes.

Jim Murdoch

Jan 11, 2024, 5:57 PM

Updated 280 days ago

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Power crews are working to restore electricity to the final New Jersey residents who are still in the dark following Tuesday night’s storm.
News 12 caught up with JCP&L crews in Old Bridge at a challenging site. A 120-foot-tall oak tree split in half, knocking out power to 67 homes. They’ve been in the dark since the storm. Residents say it has been a problem area several times now since November.
“The power lines for the home are behind the home – they're in an area that is heavily forested, and there is a 120-foot oak tree that is split – large trunk split off leaning against other trees and that creates an unsafe situation for our crews to work,” said Chris Hoenig, a JCP&L spokesperson.
Old Bridge Township Council Member Erik DePalma lives in the affected neighborhood.
“We have a lot of mature trees – our township wants to keep the trees around and the folks here embrace it, but unfortunately some of these trees have come to an end of life where we are unfortunately having these issues when bad storms come,” said DePalma.
Power should be restored by Thursday night. JCP&L will keep extra crews on standby for the next storm – expected to bring more strong winds and heavy rain Friday night into early Saturday morning.