Driver Found Dead After Fiery Truck Explosion on New Jersey Highway

Witnesses and nearby home owners reported hearing explosions and seeing "multiple fireballs"

A New Jersey tractor-trailer driver died in a fiery explosion in New Jersey on Monday, July 22, according to authorities.

The 55-year-old man from Linden, N.J., who has not been publicly identified, was found dead inside of the truck, per a Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office news release. He was driving a commercial tractor-trailer on Route 3 in Clifton when it crashed into a barrier and burst into flames.

Officials at the scene said that before the truck was rear-ended by a bus before it crashed into the barrier, according to WCBS-TV and WNBC.

None of the 29 riders on the bus were injured, Clifton City Manager Dominick Villano told NJ.com.

The crash ultimately led to lane closures and heavy traffic delays for the remainder of the day. Route 3 reopened on Tuesday, July 23, following overnight repairs paving the damaged Route 3, as well as repairing its guardrail and installing fencing and construction barrier, per local station KABC-TV.

Due to close proximity of the explosion to homes on nearby Normandy Road, vinyl siding melted while flames engulfed backyards and storm drains, per the outlet. However, no structural damage has been reported.

Related: EMT Dies After Being Struck by Car While Helping Crash Victims on Her Way Home from Shift

Witnesses and nearby home owners reported hearing explosions and seeing "multiple fireballs," per WCBS-TV.

"There were actually multiple fireballs,” Clifton resident Anup Patel told the outlet. “It wasn't just one big one.”

"I felt three explosions in my house. I thought it might have been an earthquake again," fellow resident Mary Ann Zimmerman told KABV-TV.

Added NJ Transit passenger Tom Ostendorp, "I kind of just thank God that the bus kept going forward. Because if we hadn't, and we were adjacent to the truck, could be a different story."

Related: Woman Dies After Fiery Car Crash That Caused Fireworks in Trunk to Go Off: 'Catastrophic Scene'

Although it remains unknown what exactly was on the truck, officials said it had placards on it that stated it was carrying an explosive chemical, per WNBC.

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The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, is investigating the crash.

Anyone with additional information about this incident to contact their office's tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org

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