Power Returns to Freehold

Days after an intense storm moved through Freehold, residents finally have their power restored.

The storm, called a “supercell” in a Monmouth County press release, was explained as a thunderstorm with a rotating upward draft. Hitting Freehold on Saturday night, the storm knocked down poles, uprooted trees, damaged property, and took out the majority of power in Freehold Borough in only a matter of minutes.

“It was like nothing I had ever heard before,” said Borough resident Christine Gregory. “It sounded like a freight train. I don’t usually get frightened, but on Saturday night I was scared.

Immediately after the storm, JCP&L crews began working around-the-clock in order to restore power. As many as 100 tree and line crews were present working in Freehold and it is believed that there were 44 poles broken throughout town.  

According to JCP&L’s outage map, less than five people are currently without power in Freehold Township. No outages are currently mapped in Freehold Borough. At 9:15 a.m. Freehold Borough Mayor Nolan Higgins confirmed that almost all of the power is back on in Freehold Borough.

“Homes may be without power due to service lines being down to individual homes. Residents should contact JCP&L if they do not have power,” said Higgins.

Although the power is back on, much debris is still scattered throughout the town. The Freehold Township Committee has authorized the Recycling Center be open for drop-off of storm related brush on Tuesday, July 31 until Saturday, August 4. The center will also be open for collection on Monday, Aug. 6 and Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.