NJ truck driver causes 2 crashes in Brick, Toms River, police say

Police said one driver was involved in two separate, serious crashes in Ocean County late Wednesday afternoon which closed a major intersection and damaged two vehicles. No one was hurt in either crash.

Christopher Caches, 56, of Toms River, was driving a dump truck westbound on Route 70 with a trailer towing an excavator with its arm left in the "up" position, taking down several wires and a traffic signal as it approached Brick Boulevard just after 5 p.m., according to Brick police.

The traffic signal fell onto a 2017 Honda Pilot driven by Ashely Savastano, 30, of Brielle, who was not injured.

Repairs by crews from the state Department of Transportation, JCP&L and Verizon to the damaged equipment closed down the intersection for more than 12 hours overnight, into the Thursday morning commute.

Toms River crash

Caches continued driving on Route 70 west, without stopping, into Toms River where the trailer then flipped onto its side as the truck made a right turn onto Whitesville Road around 5:40 p.m., according to Toms River police.

The excavator fell off the trailer and onto a car stopped at a red light.

No one was hurt and Caches was initially issued a summon for careless driving, police said.

By Thursday afternoon, he also faced failure to report an accident, leaving the scene and improperly loading a vehicle.

Brick police asked for any witnesses to either crash to call the department at 732-451-2037.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ