47°
Wilfredo Flores was negotiating a curve when he answered a call on his cell phone, swerved off the roadway to the right and hit a curb at Bay Avenue and Tanglewood Road around 8 p.m. Jan. 17, Toms River police said.
The impact split the pole in half and subsequently damaged a second pole due to excessive wire tension, police said.
Flores fled eastbound but was soon stopped by a concerned citizen, Toms River police said.
Several neighborhoods on the east side of town were without power overnight while Verizon and JCP&L worked to repair the damaged poles, according to police.
The downed poles ignited two brush fires that were quickly extinguished by Toms River Fire Companies 1 and 2.
Traffic lights were out between Vaughn Avenue and Indian Hill, along Bay Avenue as a result of the accident.
Flores was charged with DUI, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, unregistered vehicle, and was served a cell phone violation, police said.
The vehicle was impounded as per John’s Law and the crash accident is being investigated by Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Robert Westfall.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Lakewood and receive free news updates.
