New Jersey 101.5 video

MANALAPAN — A township resident is upset after a snow plow took out his mailbox — and about nine other mailboxes in his neighborhood after Tuesday's storm.

But township officials say that's to be expected, and estimated that as many as 75 mailboxes were probably knocked down by plows this week. Officials say residents can get reimbursed for the damage.

"My neighbor called up and said my mailbox was down," Andrew Hartung told New Jersey 101.5. "I check my surveillance videos and I see this snow truck come hauling down the street take out my mailbox. I took a ride around the neighborhood here, and just in my development there were 10 other mailboxes taken down.

Hartung, who lives on Thoreau Drive in the Taylors Mills section, said a residents group on Facebook claims another 20 mailboxes were also damaged.

Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen told New Jersey 101.5:  "I am aware of the video and we have our Department of Public Works looking into it to see how fast he was actually going and what actually happened."

DPW Director Alan Spector said plows may have taken down 50 to 75 mailboxes on Tuesday.

He said he saw Hartung's video and spoke to him.

Spector said that Hartung has been the only resident on that street to contact him.

Spector described the sleet, snow and rain that accumulated in Manalapan as "wet cement" that was difficult to remove.

"Unfortunately, when you're plowing something that heavy, regardless of your speed,  it's going to knock stuff over."

"I am not making excuses or trying to protect anyone. Video tends to make things look like they were going faster than they are. I don't know if I have it available for that particular truck. Some of our trucks have GPS in them. We've had people complain before and when I've gone back and looked and pulled up their actual speeds the majority of the trucks are doing about 15 or 16 mph. It just seems so fast and so horrible when your see that much snow coming off the end of a plow." Spector said.

The director said that the township has a simple provision in the township code to reimburse residents for mailbox damage.

"All they have to do is take a picture of the damaged mailbox and mail back a Home Depot-like receipt and they get a check back in the mail within 30 days."

According to the township code,"should the Township, through its required maintenance activities, destroy a mail box placed along the right-of-way, the Township may reimburse the property owner the sum of $50 for parts and labor."

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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