Crime & Safety
County Truck Loses Axle, Stalls Traffic
Rear axle of Department of Public Works vehicle loses hydraulic fluid at intersection of Grove and West Bradford avenues Thursday afternoon, ties up traffic on major thoroughfare.
The axle on an Essex County Public Works truck broke off at the intersection of Grove and West Bradford avenues in Cedar Grove Thursday afternoon, causing traffic delays in the area.
Cedar Grove Police Chief Richard Vanderstreet said no injuries were reported and no other cars were involved when the truck’s rear axle broke off the vehicle at around 12:35 p.m.
The truck began leaking hydraulic fluid onto the roadway and the Cedar Grove Fire Department was called to put down Speedy Dry, an absorbent used for removing chemical spills, Vanderstreet said.
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“They were able to get it under control very quickly,” he said, adding the fire department was successful in keeping it out of the storm drains as well.
The damaged eight-year-old truck was towed from the scene.
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Grove Avenue was shutdown from Bloomfield Avenue while police directed traffic and set up orange detour cones around the scene.
Vanderstreet said the hydraulic fluid spill was cleaned up around 2 p.m. and the roadways were back open by 2:30 p.m.
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