Crime & Safety

Tuesday Morning Car Fire on Parkway; Cause Remains Unknown

Tinton Falls' Wayside Fire Co. responded to a vehicle fire on the Asbury Avenue Bridge early Tuesday morning.

Tinton Falls Wayside Fire to a vehicle fire Tuesday morning at mile post 102.2 on the Garden State Parkway.

The female driver of the Nissan Altima said she was "having mechanical issues prior to the fire starting," according to Wayside Fire Capt. Thomas Wieczerzak, who said the cause of the fire remains unknown.

The fire company received the call at 8:13 a.m. that a vehicle was on fire on the Asbury Avenue Bridge on the parkway.

Find out what's happening in Long Branch-Eatontownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Engine 36-2-75 responded under the command of Wieczerzak and worked on putting out the fire for about five to ten minutes.

"(The fire) was pretty well involved with all the fuel," he said, adding that parkway traffic was backed up because of the fire.

Find out what's happening in Long Branch-Eatontownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The driver was trying to get to the Asbury Toll Plaza to pull over, said Wieczerzak, but the car stalled while crossing the bridge and the driver exited the vehicle and called 9-1-1.

According to Wieczerzak, vehicle accidents are historically more prevelant moving into the Fourth of July holiday weekend with the increase in vehicle traffic. He pointed out that vehicles tend to compress around the Asbury Toll Plaza about a mile north and south, leading to an increase in fires and accidents during the summer season.

Wieczerzak also said that roadways throughout the borough see an increase in vehicle traffic as cars exit the parkway and Route 18 heading towards shopping, beaches and the racetrack.

"We're kind of a mecca," he said of the borough.

See the video in our Photo Gallery of the fire truck approaching the scene of the vehicle fire with accompanying photos.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.