Route 211 Crash Cuts Power, Forces Early Dismissal and Disrupts Communications

A crash on Route 211 in Middletown knocked out electrical service to several facilities in the Enlarged City School District of Middletown and led the district to dismiss Middletown High School students early at noon on March 5, officials said.

The outage began around 10:15 a.m., affecting Twin Towers Middle School, Middletown High School and the district Board of Education office. Twin Towers and the Board office had power restored shortly afterward, while Orange & Rockland Utilities told district leaders it could take one to two hours to restore electricity to Middletown High School. Power at the high school came back online around 11:40 a.m., within roughly 1 hour 25 minutes of the reported outage time. District staff reported that internal communications systems disrupted by the outage were resolved by 12:15 p.m.

Because of the expected delay in service, district leaders moved to an early dismissal for high school students at noon and canceled most after-school activities at Middletown High School. The varsity girls basketball team’s game in Newburgh scheduled for 6:00 p.m. remained set to take place, and the Board of Education meeting planned for 6:30 p.m. was scheduled to proceed in the Middletown High School Media Center.

Acting Superintendent Camille Adoma "thanked school staff and several local partners for helping manage the early dismissal." District officials also characterized the incident as having “disrupted electricity to several district facilities” and emphasized that staff and partners coordinated to move students safely.

Social media posts amplified the incident but included unverified claims. A Facebook post restated that a Route 211 crash knocked out power at several school buildings. An Instagram post said Middletown police closed State Route 211 between Wisner Avenue and Certified Drive and described a "fatal bus accident," a claim not corroborated by the district’s account or by the district timeline of restorations. The district did not report any fatalities or confirm bus involvement.

Presidential Park Elementary was the subject of an initial outage report later determined to be accidental. Orange & Rockland handled the restoration work and met its one-to-two hour estimate for restoring service at the high school, allowing communications and school operations to return to normal later that afternoon.