A New Jersey Turnpike accident killed one driver and hampered traffic on one of the nation's busiest toll roads for nearly 12 hours on Tuesday.
A dump truck overturned in the southbound lane of the turnpike Tuesday morning between exits 12 and 13 at the Wood Avenue overpass in
Linden, New Jersey, and caught fire, according to CBS New York.
New Jersey State Police initially closed down seven lanes of the turnpike after the crash for fear that the overpass supports might have been damaged.
"Support beams, which we don't know if they were compromised by the heat or the fire," Linden police captain James Sarnicki told CBS New York.
State police told NBC New York that the truck driver was the only person killed in the crash. It's not clear why the truck caught fire, but the flames threatened to ignite gas and power lines under the overpass as well.
About 75 PSE&G industrial customers lost power because the truck fire damaged its underground electric facilities and cables, according to NBC.
Some of the people stuck in the snarled traffic tried to find creative ways to pass the time. Kennedy Brown, 15, sat on the sunroof of her mom's car.
"There are hundreds of cars lined up," she told local media outlets. "All lanes are backed up. There's people out of their cars walking around the street trying to get a better view. Everyone is just sitting here."
Others shared their news about the turnpike slowdown on social media, as some skateboarded and others threw around balls.
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