CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY — More than 24 hours after a tractor-trailer carrying dog food slammed into a limousine business and an adjacent home near Route 3 in Clifton, the truck remains lodged in the structure. Engineers are still working to stabilize the building before crews can safely remove the vehicle. Clifton Police called it “a very complex situation” with “no definitive timeline” for removal.
What Happened
The crash occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Monday, April 13, near the Passaic Avenue exit ramp on Route 3 eastbound in Clifton. Surveillance video captured the dramatic moment — the truck never slowed down or veered before slamming into Limo Ride, a business on Kensington Avenue, and crashing into the adjacent home. The impact took out an entire corner of the building and knocked the home off its foundation.
The driver was trapped inside the crushed cab. First responders extricated him and transported him to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A man inside the home was rescued from a second-floor window. Remarkably, he was not injured.
The Damage
Deputy Fire Chief William LeGates described the extent of the structural damage. “The building was at least 8 or 12 inches out of square. It’s leaning, it’s very precarious in there. The guy said the roof was collapsed onto the cab and the cab was totally crushed,” LeGates said.
Neighbor Leticia Feliciano described the moment of impact. “My husband thought we were being bombed. He really did. He thought that a bomb was dropped,” Feliciano said.
Why the Truck Is Still There
As of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, the truck remained embedded in the building. Engineers are calculating how to safely support the structure at key points before the truck can be towed out without risking a collapse. “The priority is getting this right,” Clifton PD said.
The Passaic Avenue exit ramp on Route 3 eastbound remains closed. Route 3 is open in both directions. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
