A water main break has shut down all courtrooms and offices at the two main court facilities in Trenton, N.J.

A water main break has shut down all courtrooms and offices at the two main court facilities in Trenton, N.J. (WPVI)

By Nora Muchanic
Updated 2 hrs 1 min ago
TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- A water main break has shut down all courtrooms and offices at the two main court facilities in Trenton, N.J.

The break was reported after 7 a.m. Monday near the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in the unit block of Market Street.



Haddon Heights, N.J. attorney Dave Capozzi was one of many people who arrived at the complex Monday morning to argue a case.

But they were all turned away after a 16-inch water main ruptured, flooding and shutting down Market Street.

"I had no idea," said Capozzi. "I was coming up for an appeal today that was to be argued. I did not realize this was happening."

"I had no idea what was going on, and I went to the building and they said, 'Closed!'" said legal secretary Yvonne Washington. "Wow, amazing. I see all the water people are out."



"It's due to, you know... we've had some extreme weather conditions and temperatures have been very low," said Trenton Public Works Director Merkle Cherry. "We've had personnel out here since about 5:00 this morning."

The water main break turned the area around the justice complex into a skating rink.

Ice covered the road and sidewalks. It also caused the shutdown of the Mercer County Courthouse building adjacent to the complex.

"We showed up for court today, and the door is locked and the sign says no court," said attorney Thomas Mallon. "Frustrating? Very frustrating, but what are you going to do?"

Officials say they had no choice but to close the justice building.

"Number one, we have no fire protection," said David Millstein of the New Jersey Division of Property Management. "Number two, we have no toilet facilities or any type of water for the building itself. With that all - your health and safety issues - we have to close the building."

Throughout the morning, people who didn't get the word arrived thinking nothing was wrong.

It was not good news for one mom who was bringing her 2 year old to the daycare center inside the justice building.

"Yeah, I had to work today but I'm going to have to call off because of the main break," said Sonia Alicea of Trenton. "It's unfortunate."

"Today was our scheduled oral argument," said attorney Gil Brooks. "We've been waiting for about a year for this oral argument. No, I didn't know it was closed."

In addition to the court complex, a number of residential customers in the area reported loss of water service.

Icy conditions resulting from the break prompted police to close the exit ramp from Route 29 to Market Street.

Motorists were being advised to seek alternate routes.

Utility crews are on the scene and repairs are underway.

Driver critically injured after he was struck by a 50 lb. dumbbell that came crashing through the windshield of his SUV vehicle on New Jersey Turnpike

Dumbbell crashes through SUV windshield on New Jersey Turnpike

A motorist is hospitalized in critical condition after police say he was struck by a 50 lb. dumbbell that came crashing through the windshield of his vehicle. (WPVI)

Updated 14 mins ago
OLDMANS TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- A motorist is hospitalized in critical condition after police say he was struck by a 50 lb. dumbbell that came crashing through the windshield of his vehicle while he was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike in Salem County.

State police say the 75-year-old victim was conscious as he was being airlifted to Crozer-Chester Medical Center after the crash.




The incident happened in the southbound lanes of the turnpike at 7:30 a.m. Monday near Mile Marker 6, north of Interchange 1 in Oldmans Township.








Rescuers were on the scene of a crash on the NJ Turnpike on January 9, 2017.

Video from Chopper 6 HD showed a black SUV in a grassy area off the highway with a large hole visible in the driver's side of the windshield.

Action News is told the driver was flown to an area hospital in critical condition.

There was no immediate word as to how a 50 pound dumbbell could have ended up hitting the windshield. State police say they haven't ruled out the possibility someone may have thrown the dumbbell over one the overpasses nearby.

There are two very close to the scene.

Both sides of the turnpike were shut down approaching the crash scene as medics attended to the injured driver and police investigated.

Construction worker with Hardy Plumbing suffocates to death in a collapsed trench in Columbia County, GA

UPDATE | Workers grieve, neighbors shocked after construction worker dies on site

Updated: Thu 11:49 PM, Jan 05, 2017

News 12 NBC 26 News At 11 O'Clock | Thursday, Dec. 5, 2017

UPDATE | 11:30 p.m.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Tragedy strikes a home construction site in Columbia County after a worker suffocates to death in a collapsed trench. 

Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins says 25 year old Joshua Orice was killed when a trench he was working inside simply gave way. Price lived on Starnes Street in Augusta and was working for Hardy Plumbing in Harlem.
People living in Riverwood Plantation were shocked by what happened there this afternoon.

It was supposed to be another day on the job but now one construction worker is dead and a neighborhood is shaken and somber. Jennifer Bowers and her family have called this place home for more than a year and says they've never seen anything like what happened Thursday afternoon.
"I was inside and I remember hearing a siren go by, which is unusual for this neighborhood," Bowers says. "I came outside and noticed that it had stopped just right down the street and we saw workers start running."
She says they were scrambling for help after a trench collapsed, trapping 25-year-old Joshua Price, one of many working on the site of a home under construction near Washington Road. She says the moment became overwhelming when she saw three workers come to her door asking for shovels.
"We saw a few people carrying shovels and then running by, you can tell they were looking for some," Bowers says. "When they said they needed shovels we got them. And you could see panic on their faces, you could see other workers stopping and just wondering what's going on."
She remembers workers from that site and almost every other in the neighborhood looking for any way to help dig their coworker and friend out. But by the time they returned to the site, Price was already dead.
Workers turned to pall-bearers as they gathered to mourn their friend next the a Gold Cross ambulance, which would soon be in route to the Coroner's office. She says it's a reminder of the danger these workers face every day.
"We don't think of this as a hazardous job like a policeman but accidents can happen and they are appreciated," Bowers says. "These men and these women are not unnoticed. They matter and they've become family, all of them. You see them working hard, working together and they are part of this community. It's sad today."
We have contacted OSHA offices in Atlanta about any pending investigations but have not heard back at this time. It is not yet known or confirmed if the construction company involved followed proper procedures before Price's death.
Stay with News 12 NBC 26 as this story develops.

---

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017
8:40 p.m.
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- The Columbia County Coroner's Office has released the name of the man killed in a trench cave-in.
According to Coroner Vernon Collins, the victim is Joshua Shane Price, 25, from Augusta. Coroner Collins said Price was pronounced dead at 3:17 p.m. Thursday.
Coroner Collins said his field examination concluded Price died from asphyxiation.
His body will be sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta for an autopsy. Coroner Collins says he is not sure when that autopsy will happen because the lab is backed up.
The Coroner said Price lived on Starnes Street in Augusta.

---

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- A worker that was killed after the trench he was in caved in worked for Hardy Plumbing Company out of Harlem, Ga.
The company's website states they specialize in extreme utility construction where extreme depth and other utilities are involved.
We're working to find out how the accident happened and if the company was using the correct safety procedures.
3:49 p.m.
The coroner's office has responded to Riverwood Plantation after a construction worker got trapped in a ditch.
The coroner's office said the worker was in the trench when it caved in on one side and filled up with dirt. The worker wasn't able to breathe after the dirt filled in and squeezed the worker's upper chest.
News 12 NBC 26 has a crew on scene working to get more information.

massive pileup crash on Interstate 91 in Connecticut Saturday involving nearly two dozen vehicles.

Massive pile-up crash shuts down Conn. highway


Saturday, January 07, 2017 05:39PM
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WPVI) -- Weather was likely a factor in a massive pileup crash on Interstate 91 in Connecticut Saturday involving nearly two dozen vehicles.

The crash happened in the southbound lanes of I-91 near exit 21 in Middletown.

Connecticut State Police said the crash involved at least 20 cars, three tractor trailers and a tanker truck. No serious injuries were reported.

Troopers posted this video of the scene on social media:


I-91 southbound was shut down between exit 21 and exit 25.

The state police reported multiple crashes and spin-outs across the state.

A snowplow driver lost control and hit a utility pole in Chadds Ford, Delaware County, PA

Route 202 NB closed after snowplow hits utility pole in Delco


Police say a snowplow driver lost control and hit a utility pole in Chadds Ford, Delaware County.

Updated 2 hrs 35 mins ago
CHADDS FORD, Pa. (WPVI) -- Route 202 northbound is closed after police say a snowplow driver lost control and hit a utility pole in Chadds Ford, Delaware County.

It happened around 1 p.m. Saturday on Route 202 northbound and Route 1.

Action News captured images, showing the truck's contents spilled out onto the road, making for a traffic mess.

No injuries were reported.

Route 202 northbound is currently closed at Route 1.

Village at Painters' Crossings Shopping Center temporarily lost power, but it has since been restored.