Frustration builds after another car slams through this backyard fence in Washington Township, New Jersey
Homeowners in one South Jersey community are demanding answers after their fence was hit yet again.
Police body camera video shows Washington Township, Gloucester County, police discovering the scene of the crash around 1:30 a.m. on New Year's Eve.
By daylight, the damage was clear. A driver veered off Egg Harbor Road near Dorado Avenue and plowed through a backyard fence before taking off. The damage affects three homeowners, who all share the fence, and may have to pay for repairs. The fence runs along the backyard of more than a dozen homes.
The hit-and-run driver turned himself in at 3 p.m. the same day and claimed he swerved to avoid striking a deer, police said. The investigation is ongoing.
"I'm very frustrated because now what do I have to go through to get my fence fixed?" Washington Township homeowner Jeffrey Krouse said.
It turns out this isn't the first time this has happened. There was another hit-and-run involving this same section of fence in 2019. Police said the driver in that case may have been distracted.
A different section of the same fence, further down Egg Harbor Road, was hit in July 2025 and August 2025. Police said the August 2025 incident involved a drunk driver and the July 2025 incident involved a driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
Homeowners are worried if this pattern continues, somebody could get hurt.
"I have grandchildren and if they're out in the yard and somebody comes through that fence, there's nothing to stop it," Krouse said.
The Washington Township Police Department has been in contact with the Gloucester County Highway Division about the possibility of installing guardrails.
"There's many homes along the stretch that have swimming pools," Chief Patrick Gurcsik from the Washington Township Police Department said. "It's definitely a concern that somebody would be in one of those backyards when an accident happened."