Handcuffs (Shorebeat File Photo/ banspy/ Flickr)
A drunk driver was responsible for knocking down a utility pole and wires late Monday night, Toms River police said in a statement Tuesday.
According to police spokeswoman Jillian Messina, multiple police units and Toms River fire companies were dispatched to the intersection of Church and Silverton Roads at about 11:30 p.m. Monday for a reported traffic crash with a pole and wires down, as well as a wooded area nearby on fire.
The initial investigation, police said, revealed Deborah J. Camiscoli-Spedick, 70 of Toms River, was traveling west on Church Road when she failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway and struck a utility pole. The pole cracked at the base which resulted in the power lines falling to the ground and subsequently causing three different sections of brush on the side of the roadway to catch fire.
Additionally, the damage to the pole caused multiple primary power lines in the area to fall to the ground leading to power outages in the area and multiple traffic signals to go out.
Members of Silverton EMS responded to the scene and attempted to render aid to Camiscoli-Spedick, Messina said, but she refused medical attention. The vehicle was towed from the scene and Camiscoli-Spedick was arrested and charged with DWI. She was issued traffic citations for reckless driving and careless driving.
The accident is under investigation by Ptl. Kevin McDermott.
