Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Monday:

🔗 Deadly Edison crash: 1 dead in gas tanker crash fire

🔥A gasoline tanker carrying 8,000 gallons burst into flames after a crash on Route 287
🔥One person was killed, 4 total injured, as more than 150 firefighters responded
🔥Interstate 287 and Route 27 closed after the fire spread into nearby woods

EDISON — A tanker carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline collided with another vehicle on Route 287 and went up in flames on Sunday morning, leaving one person dead and two highways closed.

The collision around 5:53 a.m. immediately sent smoke and flames into the air around Exit 2A after a Jeep rear-ended the tanker near Exit 2 (Route 27) engulfing both in flames, State Police Trooper Christopher Postorino said.

The driver of the Jeep was fatally injured while the passenger was taken to a hospital. Postorino did not disclose the status of the tanker driver or the identities of anyone involved in the crash. The crash remains under investigation by State Police.

Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch both said that over 150 firefighters responded to the fire scene. They said a total of four people were injured in the fire.

State Police closed Route 287 in both directions between Exit 1 (Route 1) and Route 27 between Bridge Street and Route 287 for most of the day. The southbound lanes of Route 287 were reopened around 11:15 a.m. and the northbound lanes were reopened around 5 p.m.

Both directions of Route 27 reopened around 3:15 p.m.

Busch said that the DEP is monitoring the runoff from the gasoline that spilled out of the tanker. The impacted areas are being handled by DEP crews none of it entered Metuchen.

🔗 Cops: Angry NJ man threatens to blow up Lowe’s, ‘shoot everyone'

🚨 NJ man is accused of threatening to blow up a Lowe’s and “shoot everyone” inside.
🚨 The East Amwell resident is accused of being angry over a lawnmower he bought.
🚨 Police say multiple firearms and a hoax explosive device were at the man's home.

A 45-year-old Hunterdon County man faces criminal charges for violently threatening a home improvement store after becoming upset over a lawnmower he bought, according to prosecutors.

Peter W. Randolph, of East Amwell, is charged with second-degree false public alarms and third-degree terroristic threats, for vowing to blow up the Raritan Township Lowe’s store, as well as “shoot everyone” inside.

Hunterdon County man accused of threatening Lowe’s after lawn mower complaint
On Tuesday, Raritan Township Police were called about a menacing message to the Lowe’s corporate call center.

Investigators said Randolph was unhappy with the delivery service a lawn mower he bought at the Raritan Township store along Route 31 — and was also not satisfied with Lowe’s response to his issue.

He threatened to make a bomb using a 55-gallon drum of ammonia nitrate, according to an affidavit filed by investigators.

Lowe’s staff said that Randolph also threatened to “shoot everyone” inside, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson said.

State Police went to Randolph’s home in East Amwell and immediately took him into custody.

A search there turned up multiple firearms and a “hoax explosive device,” Robeson said.

At the same time, Raritan Township Police did a sweep of the Lowe’s building and the parking area. No explosives, hazardous materials, or other threats were found.

🔗 Send in the cavalry! Seaside readies for holiday party chaos

☀️Seaside Heights police are preparing for viral pop-up parties promoted online
☀️A mysterious 7-ton green buoy on the beach since April could finally be removed
☀️Extra officers, FBI support and drone teams will help keep Seaside Heights safe

SEASIDE HEIGHTS — Police here are so worried about potential Memorial Day weekend chaos that they’ve asked State Police to literally send in the cavalry.

Police Chief Tommy Boyd says he has requested mounted troopers, extra officers, FBI support, Homeland Security agents, and drone teams as the Shore town braces for massive holiday crowds. They're also worried about a wave of viral “pop-up parties” spreading online ahead of the unofficial start of summer.

For families heading to the Jersey Shore for the holiday and the rest of the season, officials say the goal is to keep the weekend from turning into the kind of disorder that recently forced carnival shutdowns and sparked police crackdowns in other New Jersey towns.

Police say at least six pop-up parties are already being promoted on TikTok and Instagram ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

The concern comes after large teen gatherings recently caused problems at events in Maple Shade and Medford, raising fears that Shore towns could face similar scenes once schools let out and warm weather hits.

Boyd said organizers are now getting cease-and-desist letters from the township attorney.

"Then we just charge them and we'll go from there. We've notified the [Ocean County] Prosecutor's Office; they're involved with helping us find these parties," Boyd told New Jersey 101.5.

Boyd says that the parties are just a "money maker" for the organizers who are looking for clicks and "all the social media baloney."

🔗 Talks to end a strike shutting down the largest US commuter rail system will resume this morning

NEW YORK (AP) — A marathon day of negotiations that finished early Monday failed to end a strike that shut down the Long Island Rail Road, North America’s largest commuter rail system, setting the stage for a rough start to the work week for about 250,000 commuters.

Unions representing rail workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which runs the railroad, negotiated through much of Sunday and early Monday after some prodding from the National Mediation Board and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The two sides came up short, but the talks went well enough that negotiators agreed to return to their work early Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for union workers. The negotiations lasted so long that even a deal could not have saved Monday morning’s commute because of the time needed to get crews and trains in place.

The National Mediation Board, the federal labor agency governing labor relations for railroads and airlines, summoned representatives for both sides to a Sunday afternoon meeting that got the talks started. They continued until nearly 1:30 a.m. Monday. The sides agreed to return to the negotiating table later this morning.

🔗 Sherrill silent as push to halt data centers grows

⚡ Coalition of groups asks governor to pause all data center projects
⚡ Letter cites impact to environment and electricity rates
⚡ Gov. Mikie Sherrill has not commented

Citing negative impacts to the environment and utility rates, dozens of environmental, labor and community groups are asking Gov. Mikie Sherrill to immediately halt all data center projects in New Jersey.

The groups want her to issue a temporary pause on approvals and construction while the potential damage is assessed on multiple fronts.

In a letter to Sherrill, more than 60 groups warned of "irreversible harm" to communities in the Garden State.

Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity, and many have blamed that consumption for driving utility rates higher in New Jersey and other states.

The administration of former Gov. Phil Murphy had courted data centers and encouraged them to come to New Jersey. Dozens have already been built.

In their letter to Sherrill, the coalition says, now, "Little is being done at the state level to stop the unchecked growth of data centers and the increase in electric rates they say will come with it.”

In addition to the economic cost, the letter cites multiple potential impacts to the environment. "A moratorium is also needed to protect the environment and the health and well-being of New Jersey residents," the letter states.

Sherrill, who campaigned on a more affordable energy policy, has yet to respond to the letter's demands.

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

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You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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