UPDATE: Man Drives Vehicle Into Wildwood Water Works in Rio Grande

RIO GRANDE – An early morning accident resulted in damage to the Wildwood Water Works Pumping Station on Route 47.
Middle Township police received multiple 9-1-1 calls Sat., Aug. 23 at 6 a.m. reporting a crash occurred at 975 Route 47. Police responding to the scene found a 2010 red Mercury Milan driven through the front doors of the pumping station building.
Police stated the driver of the automobile, identified as Stanley Lovett, 25, of Bridgeton, was traveling southbound on Route 47 when the accident occurred.
“The driver lost control of his vehicle coming out of the water works bend and struck the guardrail on the north side of the road,” said Middle Township police Cpl. Gino Castellano “The vehicle then traveled back across the north and south bound lanes going through a fence and struck the front of the Wildwood Water Works building.”
Castelleno said Lovett initially stated he fell asleep and did not remember anything related to the accident. However, during the course of an investigation following the accident Lovett stated he remembered a deer running out in front of his car.
The Wildwood Water Works Pumping Station has served customers of the Wildwood Water Utility since 1910. The 104-year-old building is the sole pumping station for the utility and serves customers in Middle and Lower Townships as well as Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, West Wildwood and North Wildwood.
“The station remains open and is doing its job,” said water utility General Manager Ron Grookett.
According to Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano, water utility workers responded to the scene and secured the building. An evaluation of the pumping station’s pump motor will take place Mon., Aug. 25.
Grookett said both the car’s driver, as well as the building itself, were “very lucky.” “If the car would have struck two or three inches on either side of where it did hit, it would have caused far greater damage to the pumping station and the car.”
Crashing through the building’s front doors, the vehicle came to rest over an area that houses a back up pump.
“The curve on Route 47 near the pumping station is a very dangerous one,” noted Troiano. “People should take care and heed in this area. It doesn’t take much to get in trouble on this stretch of the road.”
“The state of New Jersey should evaluate this portion of Route 47,” said Grookett. “Numerous accidents have occurred here, some resulting in death.”
Lovett was issued a summons for careless driving.