A widespread power outage disrupted the morning routine for thousands of residents in Toms River and Island Heights on Wednesday, affecting traffic signals and delaying school openings.
As of 7:40 a.m., approximately 4,100 homes and businesses were left without electricity. The outage stemmed from an issue with a high-voltage line that temporarily took a Toms River substation offline. Restoration efforts are underway, with electricity expected to return by 10:30 a.m., according to Jersey Central Power & Light.
The Toms River Regional Schools implemented a 90-minute delayed opening for intermediate and elementary schools, including Walnut Street Elementary and Washington Street Elementary, located within the affected area. Toms River high schools opened on time. The district’s website experienced outages, complicating communication with parents and students.
Traffic conditions were also impacted, with signals along Route 37 out of service. Intersections from Hospital Drive to Hooper Avenue were left without functioning cross-traffic lights, according to reports from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Residents reported the power outage began around 3:30 a.m., initially affecting nearly 15,000 homes and businesses before restoration efforts reduced the number of outages. Crews continue working to resolve the issue.
.
