A construction crew at a Jersey City site went rogue after city inspectors shut down work at the site Thursday morning and poured a construction chemical into drilled holes that sent pieces of the ground flying, officials say.
The buildings department shut down construction at 191 Academy St., and cited the construction company with failure to protect the adjoining property for work they were doing with the jackhammer, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.
But workers, without authorization, then put a chemical into the drilled holes in the ground in an attempt to break up the rock, then left the area, according to Morrill.
The chemical -- a rock-splitting mortar -- reacted with the outside heat, causing smoke and rock to spew from the holes. The Jersey City fire chief says smoke could be seen and popping noises heard in the initial eruptions.
No one was hurt, and the windows of a nearby building were hit with flying rock.
A spokesman for the contractor working at the site, Holister, told News 4 that it was actually stone dust that erupted from the ground, and as far as he knew, no buildings or windows were damaged.
However, residents of a nearby building have been told to stay away because the chemical may continue to react for a few more hours.
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The buildings department has issued a stop-work order at the site and slapped the owner with a slew of violations. Police, firefighters and buildings officials are monitoring the site.
