A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in Newark early Monday morning, sending two cargo containers off the tracks and into a garbage truck and a utility pole, sending two people to the hospital. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene near 300 Doremus Avenue at around 3:12 a.m., and the crash has since snarled traffic across the surrounding industrial corridor.
Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said responders attended the scene at approximately 3:12 a.m., according to rlsmedia.com. When crews got there, they found two containers that had come off the Norfolk Southern train and struck a utility pole and a garbage truck. The driver and passenger of the garbage truck suffered minor injuries and were taken to University Hospital for treatment, the outlet reported.
Officials said no additional injuries had been reported as of Monday morning. The cause of the derailment remained unclear.
Street Closures Snarl Traffic Near Doremus Avenue
The derailment triggered street closures around Doremus Avenue, Wilson Avenue, and Roanoke Avenue. Authorities warned drivers to expect significant delays through at least midday as crews worked to clear the scene, per the same rlsmedia.com account.
Crews were working Monday to remove the two derailed containers from the roadway, while PSE&G crews worked separately to repair the utility pole damaged in the crash. Commuters in the area were being urged to seek alternate routes until the cleanup was complete.
A Recurring Concern Along New Jersey's Rail Lines
Monday's crash follows a separate derailment in North Bergen that drew renewed attention to rail safety across the state. In that incident, accounts differed on the scope of the damage: CSX said 13 cars had derailed while the North Bergen public safety commissioner put the number at 11, according to NBC New York. Officials said no injuries resulted from that derailment, though North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco said the chemical ethyl acetate had spilled, a claim a CSX spokesperson disputed, telling the outlet no leak or spill had occurred.
That North Bergen crash forced Route 3 to close for hours and drew a response from local and state emergency crews, according to Gothamist. The outlet also reported that roughly 3.6 million New Jersey residents, about a third of the state's population, live within an evacuation zone along a hazardous materials rail route, citing a New Jersey Policy Perspective report.
Motorists near Doremus Avenue were urged to seek alternate routes Monday as cleanup crews worked to clear the derailed containers and restore power infrastructure damaged in the crash. No further updates on the cause of the derailment or the condition of those hospitalized had been released.
