A Nissan crashed into a utility pole on McLaren Street in Red Bank Thursday. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Two car crashes occurred within minutes of each other in Red Bank Thursday morning.

One was reported on McLaren Street, right, sending two women away in an ambulance. Another, appearing to be minor, was on Branch Avenue.

Immediate details on the two accidents, which occurred at around 11 a.m., were not immediately available.

The McLaren Street accident briefly closed traffic, between Spring and Wallace streets, as emergency crews worked to clear the accident.

It appeared that a beige Nissan crashed into a utility pole in front of a residence at 9 McLaren St., shearing the trunk of the pole.

The car’s airbag was deployed and the car sustained front-end damage.

Two passengers in the car, both older women, were taken from the scene in ambulances.

Another accident, reported within minutes of the McLaren Street accident, caused heavy front-end damage to a blue sedan.

Police and a flat-bed tow truck were on the scene, in the Red Bank Middle School parking lot, to haul the car away.

The cause of the accident is unclear, but a fire police volunteer said it was classified as minor.