Two tractor-trailers crashed and burst into flames on the New Jersey Turnpike early Thursday, causing hours-long commuter chaos.
The collision happened at around 3:30 a.m. in Carteret, around 20 miles from New York City — and one of the trucks involved was carrying wood, WABC reported.
Firefighters desperately tried to get the fire under control, and smoke was seen billowing from the mangled wreckage once the blaze was extinguished.
The smash shut down the northbound side of the turnpike, just north of interchange 12, and backups stretching 11 miles have been reported, according to Fox5.
Northbound traffic is being moved to the outer roadway.
Southbound traffic has also been affected.
Rubbernecking — where drivers slow down and gawk at a crash site — is causing severe congestion.
Drivers face 3.5-mile delays stretching back to Interchange 13.
A southbound lane near the scene was closed.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, and authorities have not revealed any details about the drivers’ conditions.