The upper part of a sheared utility pole rests on live electrical lines on Maple Avenue in Red Bank, opposite the Atlantic Club. (Click to enlarge)
A mid-afternoon accident that broke a utility pole on Maple Avenue threatened to cause rush-hour traffic jams in Red Bank on Wednesday.
The accident, at around 3:10p, appeared to involve a single vehicle, which sheared the pole near the ground and left the upper half resting on what police said were live electrical wires.
No official account of the accident was yet available from police, who had closed off Maple between East Bergen Place and Broad Street while awaiting the arrival of a crew from Jersey Central Power and Light.
By 3:30, traffic was backing up in both directions on East Bergen and southbound on Broad.