Business & Tech

JCP&L: Bright Light Was Tranformer Line Coming Down

The power outage Nov. 23 was a result of two lines hitting each other.

The bright light that sparked questions, concerns and massive power outages in the early morning hours of Nov. 23 was indeed the result of an electric line falling onto an adjacent one, according to a representative from JCP&L.

John Anderson, area manager with JCP&L, said it was a transformer line coming down that caused the arcing.

"It could have been caused by different reasons, like a tree limb coming down or animal contact," he said. "There are a number of different scenarios."

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Several thousand people in the Bridgewater area dealt with power outages after the line came down in the vicinity of Route 202/206, and Wednesday because of the outage.

"Everyone had power back by the morning," Anderson said.

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Reactions to the problem ranged from concern to wonder as residents in the area of the power line said they heard loud noises and saw the sky light up as though it were the middle of the day.

The Bridgewater Patch Facebook page lit up with comments in the early morning hours, as residents questioned what had happened and what others had seen.

"Some type of five-minute-long crazy electrical storm that lit the sky like broad daylight behind the Stratton Meadows complex," said resident EJ Stankiewicz. "Now spotlights can be seen."

Residents saw the glow of the lights that appeared, to some, like the eery tales of alien landings.

"Out my back door, I could see the glow, the sparks and hear the buzzing of the transformer/sub station exploding," said resident Cheri McManus Perez in a comment on the Bridgewater Patch Facebook page.

Perez said she heard workers from on Route 202/206 running out toward the street, and the light was so bright, she was afraid her own house was on fire.

And resident Luna Shyla Davis said on the Facebook page that the whole area lit up.

"It was like daylight," she said. "The sky was orange, yellow, red, even blue and purple at one point. You could hear something sizzling and popping. It was an amazing show. The whole half of the sky was lit up."


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