Mayor Jay Gillian says police stopped motorists during severe flooding as the city cleans up storm damage, removes sand and warns of lithium-ion battery fires after saltwater exposure.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. — Ocean City officials are considering penalties for motorists who drive recklessly through floodwaters after a powerful coastal storm inundated streets, disabled vehicles and triggered several lithium-ion battery fires.

Update: At least one EV fire has been reported in the city since the flooding.

Mayor Jay A. Gillian said the city is continuing cleanup and damage assessments following days of flooding and strong winds. All bridges and streets have reopened, and no additional flooding was expected in the immediate forecast.

“Ocean City has not seen many precedents to the water levels and wind that we saw over so many tide cycles,” Gillian said.

City Considering New Flood-Driving Penalties

Gillian said police stopped numerous vehicles during the height of the flooding and directed motorists who were not responding to emergencies to turn around and go home.

Despite those warnings, he said many people still lost vehicles after attempting to drive through flooded streets.

“Driving during these flooding events poses a danger not only to the drivers and their vehicles, but also to properties damaged by their wake,” Gillian said.

The mayor said he and City Council will ask the police chief and city solicitor to examine a potential local ordinance establishing penalties for reckless driving through floodwaters.

Electric Vehicle Battery Fires Reported

Ocean City police and firefighters also responded to numerous disabled vehicles and what Gillian described as a handful of lithium-ion battery fires involving electric vehicles.

City officials warned that batteries exposed to or damaged by salt water can remain a fire risk.

The warning applies not only to electric vehicles but also e-bikes, scooters and battery-powered tools that were submerged or damaged during the storm.

Gillian urged residents to take precautions rather than assuming equipment is safe once floodwaters recede.

Storm Cleanup Underway Across Ocean City

Public Works crews are removing sand and storm debris from streets as residents begin cleaning damaged properties.

The city opened the Shelter Road Recycling Center six days a week to accept bulk items and storm-damaged material. The facility is operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Regular trash and recycling collection will remain on its normal schedule, including curbside pickup of yard and vegetative waste.

Officials warned residents to expect delays because of the unusually high volume of material being discarded.

Pumping Stations Helped Drain Floodwaters

Gillian said every pumping station in Ocean City remained operational throughout the storm.

“Without them, floodwaters of the level we saw this weekend would have taken days to drain,” he said.

The recently elevated Roosevelt Boulevard also stayed above the floodwaters and remained available as an evacuation route.

Ocean City’s high-water rescue vehicles were deployed throughout the weekend to reach fires and medical emergencies in flooded neighborhoods.

On Saturday, crews transported patients from flooded areas to emergency medical teams in Upper Township under a mutual-aid arrangement.

Ocean City Says Dunes Held During Storm

The full extent of beach erosion was still being evaluated after the storm.

Gillian said a team from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Coastal Engineering was conducting post-storm surveys of the beaches.

The ocean did not breach Ocean City’s dune system during the storm, according to the mayor, who credited the city’s recent beach replenishment project with helping protect property.

The weekend storm pushed Saturday morning’s high tide to 7.63 feet on the mean low water scale, nearly matching the 7.66-foot level recorded during the January 2016 nor’easter Jonas.

More Ocean City news and New Jersey weather coverage can be found at Shore News Network.