Will Hoboken declare state of emergency? Mayor to confer as main break issue continues Perth Amboy man with warrant out is captured when he falls into sinkhole

HOBOKEN – The massive main break that has caused fluctuating water pressure in Hoboken since Sunday has come at a less than ideal time.
During a press conference on Monday, Nov. 24, Mayor Dawn Zimmer – along with Hoboken civic officials and representatives of SUEZ North America (formerly United Water) – said the unprecedented issue may go through the Thanksgiving holiday.
Following a massive water main break on Sunday that left some in Hoboken and parts of Jersey City without water, an additional 36-inch valve failed on Sunday night and “disrupted a transmission main which feeds water from Jersey City into Hoboken,” according to a press release from city officials.
“For today I’m trying to be totally up front and say if you are experiencing water pressure problems and you think that could impact your cooking then you may want to make other plans,” Zimmer told the Hoboken Reporter after the conference. “It could go past Thanksgiving so it may be difficult to cook. We’ll know more in 24 hours but today I wanted to put out the message that it could be past Thanksgiving.”
Zimmer added that declaring a state of emergency, while still too early to tell whether necessary, would provide some advantages in addressing the situation.
“That helps us potentially with the water issues, traffic and gives us increased powers,” she said. “I’ll be sitting down with my chiefs to discuss that.”
Christopher Riat, the senior director of operations for SUEZ North America, said at the conference that there’s currently no way to set a timeline over when the issue will be resolved.
When asked typically how long do these types of fixtures take to fix he said, “That’s the problem, none of them are typical and this one is even less typical then most. This is a significant bit of engineering and construction and we really won’t know how long until we get to that valve.”
While Riat confirmed that the cause of the main break and valve failure are still unknown, he acknowledged during the conference that the city’s aging sewage system is definitely a factor.
The city’s boil water and water conservation advisories remain in effect and water trucks with clean drinking water are available as of Tuesday at 7 a.m. at the following locations: 333 River, Newark and Adams streets, Clinton Street between 8th and 9th, 311 13th St., and 14th Street and Sinatra, ShopRite at 10th and Madison, the city said.
Residents are encouraged to take public transportation in and out of the city.
At the conference Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante and Fire Chief Anton Peskens were also present to assure the public that they are equipped to handle any potential emergencies.
While Ferrante commended the public for adhering to the city’s recommendations while dealing with the aftermath of the main break, he said one driver allegedly decided to drive around a police barrier on Harrison Street on Monday afternoon.
The Perth Amboy man drove into “shallow water” at the intersection of Harrison and Newark streets and plummeted into a sinkhole before trying to flee the scene, Ferrante said. The man, who had a prior warrant in Perth Amboy, was arrested and later charged with reckless driving and fleeing the scene of an accident.
Alternate-side parking has been suspended on Tuesday, Nov. 24 on streets south of 1st and west of Washington, including Vezzetti Way.