Video: Morristown blast survivor tells officials she is lucky to celebrate son’s birthday

Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, center, talks with Jerome May of the state Board of Public Utilities, as explosion survivor Judy Stein-Loewenthal looks on. Judy testified in Trenton that she fears
Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, center, talks with Jerome May of the state Board of Public Utilities, as explosion survivor Judy Stein-Loewenthal looks on. Judy testified in Trenton that she fears "someone will die" if Morristown's manhole incidents are not addressed. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Judy Stein-Loewenthal was late for her son Zachary’s eighth birthday celebration on Wednesday. She was testifying about last month’s Morristown manhole explosion, and her family’s razor-thin brush with tragedy.

“If we were not inches from that manhole, but sitting directly over it, we may not be here today. My son may not have lived to be 8 years old,” Judy told the state Board of Public Utilities in Trenton.

As it was, Judy sustained second-degree burns to her left arm, which may be permanently discolored, according to her doctors. The Morris Township resident was taking sons Zachary and Jake, 5, for ice cream around 4:30 pm on Aug. 31 when a manhole cover on James Street shot skyward. Another motorist, Bret Sharretts, was singed but did not require treatment.

Judy told the BPU that she could not understand why years of underground fires and explosions in Morristown have gone unchecked. A massive basement blast at the Morristown & Township Library in May 2010 remains unsolved.

“It is mandatory that something be done to make a difference,” Judy said.

“I have come here today because I don’t want this to happen again. I fear that someone will die, and in fact, I believe in my heart and mind that someone will die if this situation is not properly addressed.”

Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, center, talks with Jerome May of the state Board of Public Utilities, as explosion survivor Judy Stein-Loewenthal looks on. Judy testified in Trenton that she fears "someone will die" if Morristown's manhole incidents are not addressed. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, center, talks with Jerome May of the state Board of Public Utilities, as explosion survivor Judy Stein-Loewenthal looks on. Judy testified in Trenton that she fears "someone will die" if Morristown's manhole incidents are not addressed. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

BPU commissioners on Wednesday directed Jersey Central Power & Light to hire a “special reliability master,” who must be approved by the BPU, to scrutinize the Morristown system for safety. The utility’s own study this summer did not go far enough, according to the BPU staff. The BPU wants JCP&L to present a consultant for board approval at its next meeting, on Oct. 13.

“We will comply and fully cooperate with the board’s decision,” said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano.

The board already has scheduled hearings next week on JCP&L’s response to Tropical Storm Irene. Many mayors–including H. Scott Rosenbush of Morris Township–have complained that the utility did not update them about when and where power would be restored after the storm.

Smoke wafts from manhole at South and James streets, minutes after cover blew off, injuring a motorist with steam. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Smoke wafts from manhole at South and James streets, minutes after cover blew off, injuring a motorist with steam. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

The manhole investigation may give the BPU insights into the library explosion–still under investigation by the library’s insurer–and the Irene hearings could lead to a broader review of First Energy, JCP&L’s parent company, said Jerome May, director of the BPU division of energy.

“The events of the hurricane and the response to the hurricane might lead us to conclude there are more systemic problems that need to be investigated,” Jerome said.

There is some precedent for Wednesday’s action by the BPU. Pressure was brought to bear on JCP&L after five days of power outages in the Barrier Islands around the Fourth of July in 2003. The utility paid $2 million in claims to businesses, and installed new power lines.

Lee Solomon, president of the BPU, promised that the board would stay on top of the special master’s investigation of Morristown’s manholes. “Presumably, that will give us the foundation for some action,” he said.

Board Commissioner Joseph Fiordaliso added: “We take our mission of safe, reliable service very, very seriously. So you can rest assured that we will continue to work toward ensuring that safe and reliable service.”

That all sounded good to Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, but she told the board that words are not enough.

“I really do feel that time is of the essence. Just because the study is under way and someone has been appointed doesn’t mean that we known any more about why the library exploded,” she said, asserting that Morristown’s “Renaissance and development” are threatened by public anxiety about infrastructure.

Recurring natural gas leaks and manhole incidents have left her constituents worried “as they push a stroller across the street, as they take their kids to the library, as they decide which corner they want to sit at to have dinner…. I want all of us to feel comfortable and confident and safe in our town.”

READ MORE ABOUT MORRISTOWN MANHOLE INCIDENTS

READ MORE ABOUT TROPICAL STORM IRENE

Judy Stein-Loewenthal demonstrates how her arm was resting on her minivan's windowsill when a manhole exploded in Morristown on Aug. 31, causing second-degree burns. Now she must wear a compression sleeve. Judy testified in Trenton before the state Board of Public Utilities, where she expressed fears that "someone will die" if the recurring manhole incidents are not solved. Photo by Kevin Coughlin.
Judy Stein-Loewenthal demonstrates how her arm was resting on her minivan's windowsill when a manhole exploded in Morristown on Aug. 31, causing second-degree burns. Now she must wear a compression sleeve. Judy testified in Trenton before the state Board of Public Utilities, where she expressed fears that "someone will die" if the recurring manhole incidents are not solved. Photo by Kevin Coughlin.

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