07/05/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/05/2026 14:27
Link to storm photos: PSEG Flickr
(NEWARK, N.J. - July 5, 2026) - PSE&G crews continue working around the clock to safely restore electric service after a week of extreme weather that brought a prolonged heat wave starting July 1, followed by severe thunderstorms on July 3 and additional storms on July 4 that caused widespread damage across New Jersey.
Restoration work continues in areas where strong winds, fallen trees and heavy rain have damaged power lines and equipment. From noon on July 1 to 1:00 p.m. today:
Why you may not see a utility crew on your street
Restoring service after a severe storm often requires rebuilding sections of the electric system before power can be restored to towns and neighborhoods.
Damaged circuits that feed your town may not always be visible from your home or even your neighborhood. Repairs are frequently needed on damaged transmission and distribution lines, substations and circuits upstream from you in order to restore the power flow to you and your neighborhood.
PSE&G continues to deploy additional resources, including vegetation management crews clearing fallen trees and branches from power lines so lineworkers can safely access damaged equipment and begin repairs.
The standard restoration process is designed to return service to the greatest number of customers as quickly as possible. During this week however, we are focused on restoring those customers who were impacted by the heatwave last week and the July 3 storm before turning to those impacted by the July 4 storm.
We first restore power to critical facilities and repair major transmission and distribution lines before addressing more localized outages and individual service connections. Customers can learn more about how power restoration works, and why some outages take longer than others and why reporting an outage matters, on Energize!.
"We know this has been an especially difficult week for many of our customers," said Paul Toscarelli, vice president, Electric Operations, PSE&G. "Some families have experienced days of heat followed by multiple rounds of damaging storms causing extended power outages. We understand how challenging that is, and we want our customers to know that every available crew - along with incoming out-of-state mutual aid crews - are working as safely and quickly as possible to restore service."
Toscarelli continued: "The damage from these back-to-back weather events is extensive in some locations and requires significant rebuilding of portions of the electric system. We sincerely appreciate everyone's patience and thank our employees, contractors and mutual assistance partners who have been working tirelessly throughout the holiday weekend to restore power."
In addition to electric restoration efforts, PSE&G appliance service technicians continue responding to requests for air conditioning repairs. Customers needing HVAC system repair can schedule an appointment at pseg.com/myaccount or call (7734).
Stay Safe During Restoration
As cleanup and restoration continue, customers are reminded to:
Stay informed
Customers can report outages and receive restoration updates by:
Customers can also visit pseg.com/outagecenter for the latest outage information, estimated restoration times and the Outage Map.
Customers needing HVAC system repair can schedule an appointment through pseg.com/myaccount or call 1-800-350-PSEG (7734).
Customers who need help paying their energy bill can learn about available assistance programs, including LIHEAP, SHARES, Equal Payment Plan and Deferred Payment Arrangements, at pseg.com/help.
For cooling centers in your area, or visit nj211.org.
PSE&G will continue providing restoration updates through the Outage Map and on social media at @PSEGdelivers on X and @PSEG on Facebook and Instagram until restoration efforts are complete.
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About PSE&G
Public Service Electric & Gas Co. is New Jersey's oldest and largest gas and electric delivery public utility, as well as one of the nation's largest utilities. PSE&G has won the ReliabilityOne® Award for superior electric system reliability in the Mid-Atlantic region for 24 consecutive years. In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, J.D. Power named PSE&G number one in customer satisfaction for residential electric service in the East among large utilities. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a predominantly regulated infrastructure company named to the Dow Jones Best in Class Index for North America for 18 consecutive years (www.pseg.com).