Diesel Fuel Spill Closes Main Street in Matawan Thursday Afternoon

Main Street in Matawan was closed Thursday afternoon after a tractor trailor leaked diesel fuel on the roadway, police said.

According to Lt. Ben Smith, a UPS truck was driving over the train tracks toward Route 34 shortly before 4 p.m.. As the tractor trailer crossed the tracks, a spring broke and punctured a whole in the gas tank. The truck continued driving but stopped on Main Street near Bart's Restaurant when the driver noticed there was an issue.

A woman driving behind the truck slid on the fuel and had a minor, one-vehicle accident, Smith said. She was not injured.

"Diesel fuel on the roadway is like ice," Smith said. "It's very slippery."

The Matawan Fire Department and Matawan First Aid Squad responded to the scene to help close down the roadway while the Monmouth Couty Office of Emergency Management and Monmouth County Hazardous Materials team responded to the scene.

The truck leaked between 75 and 100 gallons of fuel on the roadway, Smith said. No fuel went into Lake Lefferts or Matawan Creek, both of which border Main Street.

The Monmouth County Road Department poured sand onto the road to absorb the fuel, Smith said.

As of about 6:30 p.m., the road remained closed however it was expected to reopen within the hour.

"We appreciate the quick response from all of the assisting agencies," Ssmith said. "We got it contained fairly quickly."