Matawan Apartment Building Evacuated After Partial Foundation Collapse

A Matawan apartment building at the intersection of Mill Road and Freneau Avenue was evacuated Monday afternoon after a portion of the foundation collapsed.

According to Sgt. Thomas Falco, the Matawan Police Department was dispatched to the scene at about 12 p.m. after receiving a report of a collapsed house with a possible gas leak. 

The first officer on the scene, Ptl. Andrew Marsala, was able to determine that there was no gas leak and only a portion of the Queen Anne's Court building had collapsed, Falco said. 

Matawan Construction Official Nick Fabiano also responded to the scene and determined that a basement wall that runs parallel to Mill Road collapsed. The house was deemed uninhabitable and the tenants occupying three of the four apartments will not be able to return until the foundation is repaired.

"We believe the age of the building combined with the amount of water [caused the collapse]. It is a very old building," Falco said.  

All of the displaced residents have an alternative place to go, he said. 

Police have blocked traffic from turning on to Mill Road from Freneau Avenue due to the building's proximity to the street. 

"It's a safety precaution in case something were to happen with building because it's so close to the roadway. The sidewalk is closed too." he said.

Ptl. Andrew Marsala, Sgt. Jeremiah Hourihan, Ptl. Christopher Stark, the Matawan Borough Fire Department, Matawan First Aid Squad, Matawan Construction Official Nick Fabiano and the Office of Emergency Management responded to the scene.