Tanker Crash In Newark Delays NJ TRANSIT Trains
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A fiery, early morning crash near railroad tracks in Newark snarled the morning commute.
The tanker carrying approximately 8,500 gallons of fuel burst into flames after colliding with a car on McCarter Highway at about 1:45 a.m. Thursday.
The city's fire department said no one was injured.
"That was really a miraculous thing that no one was injured with this kind of accident that happened here today," said Capt. John Brown of the Newark Fire Department.
The crash, which happened adjacent to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor rail line, resulted in an intense fire so hot that it melted street signs and caused problems for Amtrak's signals and overhead wires, CBS 2's Scott Rapoport reported.
"It burned one of the power lines down," Brown said.
NJ TRANSIT was forced to suspend and delay trains as crews and engineers checked the structural integrity of the tracks and repaired overhead wires.
Trains continued to face delays into the afternoon on the Raritan Valley Line, Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line.
System-wide cross honoring is in effect with both NJ TRANSIT and PATH to accommodate customers. For more information, visit njtransit.com.
Traffic was also a nightmare in and around downtown Newark during the morning rush as crews cleared debris from the road, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
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