CLIFTON, N.J. — Multiple media outlets in the New York/New Jersey area report that on Monday, July 22, an 18-wheeler caught fire on Route 3 near East Valley Road in New Jersey, killing the driver.
Fire officials told local media outlets that the truck and a New Jersey Transit bus collided. Reports say the truck exploded and debris scattered into the backyards of several homes. Route 3 was closed in both directions following the crash, but the westbound lanes reopened Monday evening according to reports.
Fire officials believed the truck was carrying corrosives, because of signage witnessed.
“The truck had placards on it, from the best that we could determine, that said it was carrying corrosive and explosive chemicals,” Clifton Fire Department Acting Chief Daniel Collins told WABC television.
The body was reportedly discovered once the fire was partially contained. No one on the bus was reported injured.
Reports indicate that the fire went into the storm drains and into back yards. The sound barrier that was hit by the truck was damaged and residents were evacuated.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Clifton Police Chief Thomas Rinaldi announced later in the day that the “motor vehicle crash occurred resulting in an explosion. A commercial truck traveling west on Route 3 in Clifton crashed into a barrier causing the vehicle to catch fire. After the fire was brought under control by members of the Clifton Fire Department, the body of the driver, a 55-year-old male from Linden, New Jersey, was discovered. The cause of the vehicle crash is undetermined at this time.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
