1 dead, 1 injured in fuel tanker explosion that shut down parts of Route 287
Due to the crash, the Volvo tractor, the fuel tanker trailer and the Jeep all became fully engulfed in flames.
A massive Volvo tractor pulling a fuel tanker trailer was traveling north of Route 287, when a Jeep SUV struck the rear of the 8,000-gallon fuel tanker near Exit 2A, between exits 1 and 2 early Sunday morning.
The Volvo tractor, the fuel tanker trailer and the Jeep then all became fully engulfed in flames.
Officials confirmed the passenger of the Jeep suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the area hospital.
The driver, 25-year-old Steven Merisier of North Brunswick, died of his injuries Monday, state police said.
The incident had shut down portions of I-287 and Route 27 in Edison early Sunday morning, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The crash also prompted a major emergency response that involved more than 150 firefighters.
Route 27 between Vineyard Road and Bridge Street in Metuchen reopened on Sunday evening. The southbound side of Route 287 also reopened, though the northbound side remains closed as of Sunday evening.
The fire was unlike anything they had ever seen for onlookers.
"We saw billowing smoke from over on [Route] 27, and we came over here and we saw the oil tanker on fire and all the fire engines, fire companies trying to put it out," said Paul Williams, of Edison.
Others described feeling the intense heat even from a distance.
"I just felt like pure, pure heat," said Daniel Mojica, of Edison. "And then you heard the popping, and there was a little bit of debris falling around, and the trees were catching on fire."
The fire appeared to be under control by 9:15 a.m.
"They contained the fire as much as they possibly could," said Edison Mayor Sam Joshi. "And then they wanted to make sure that the fuel just burned out on its own."
Joshi credited a rapid multi-agency response for preventing a more serious disaster.
"The fire department responded with a sense of urgency," Joshi said. "They coordinated with the state police, the county hazmat teams, and they did an outstanding job of containing the fire."
