Suspected drunk driver caught after crash in South Jersey knocks out power to hundreds

An ambulance at the scene of the crash in Blackwood, New Jersey on Wednesday night, March 11, 2026.
An ambulance at the scene of the crash in Blackwood, New Jersey on Wednesday night, March 11, 2026. Photo credit Blenheim Fire Company.

BLACKWOOD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Gloucester Township police say they've arrested a Blackwood man for suspected drunk driving after a crash that brought down a utility pole Wednesday night.

Authorities said it was just before 10 p.m. near Old Black Horse Pike and Oak Avenue in Blackwood when officers found an overturned vehicle next to a severed utility pole. No one was inside the vehicle.

The downed pole knocked out power to around 400 area residents.

According to police, eyewitness descriptions of the driver and passenger led to officers finding them on State Highway 1687.

The driver, 38-year-old Alan Cooper, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Cooper has been released pending a court date.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Blenheim Fire Company.