Route 539 Crash Downs Utility Pole, Sends 2 to Hospital

Two Trenton residents were taken to the hospital by helicopter after the truck they were traveling in struck a utility pole and flipped near Manchester's border with Plumstead.

John Suth, 73, and his wife, Arlene Suth, 69, were traveling southbound on County Route 539 in a 2011 Chevy Traverse when they crossed the roadway and crashed into a utility pole on the northbound side at about 6:11 p.m. Wednesday, according to information released by Manchester Police Capt. Lisa Parker.

The couple was transported by MonOc and New Jersey State Police NorthSTAR helicopters to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, police said.

The hospital's public relations manager Robert Cavanaugh on Thursday morning said that John Suth, who was driving the vehicle, was treated and released, while Arlene Suth remains at the center in fair condition.

Route 539 was closed for several hours between Horicon Avenue and the Manchester-Plumstead border as JCP&L crews replaced the damaged pole, police said.

A JCP&L power outage map following the crash Wednesday night indicated that 500 or less Whiting customers may have been without power, though this was also near the time storms passed through the area. Service has since been restored to those affected, according to the utility company.

Manchester police were assisted by first aid and fire companies from Whiting, and Plumstead Township police, fire and first aid crews.

Ptl. Paul Bachovchin of the Manchester police Traffic Safety Section is investigating the crash.