Traffic was backed up for hours on a New Jersey freeway Saturday morning after the rear window of a State Police SUV shattered while troopers were helping a man who crashed his car. The mysterious window shattering led to a full-on manhunt with a helicopter in the air and K9 units on the ground, according to reports.
"STILL stuck in traffic. Whatever happened here on i78 West near Pennsylvania must've been horrible. " pic.twitter.com/vm56wmorNY — Marc J. Anthony (@mixx_diddy) September 19, 2015
Police responded to a single-car crash around 4:24 a.m. on the westbound side of Interstate 78 in Clinton Township. Antonio Melendez, Jr., 29, was driving a 2000 Honda Civic when he crashed on the right shoulder of the roadway, police said.
While New Jersey State Police troopers were helping Melendez, the rear window of their marked SUV was hit by an unknown object and shattered, according to police. Officers began a search for potential suspects in the area around the crash site.
Part of I-78 was shut down during the manhunt, leading to miles of gridlocked traffic and confused motorists. Traffic could be seen backed up for miles along the roadway, with some drivers getting out of their cars.
Police gave little information about what was going on and rumors began to spread, NJ.com reported. One rumor was that an inmate had escaped a local prison, another was that a police officer had been shot.
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Police released a statement around 9:30 a.m. to dispel the rumors. "We want to make it clear that no troopers or civilians have been injured in the incident being investigated on I-78 in Clinton Township," police wrote. "Additionally, we have received no reports of escapes from any correctional facilities."
Traffic was opened again on I-78 around 9 a.m. It is still not known what caused the rear window in the State Police SUV to shatter.
The driver of the crashed Honda Civic was taken to Hunderton Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
