NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The smell of gas prompted a response this morning from emergency responders and the utility company Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G), helping them to find and contain an unrelated gas leak, according to city and company officials.

PSE&G workers responded to a report of a “gas odor” around 8:30 a.m. at 550 Jersey Ave., New Brunswick, spokesperson Brooke Houston said.

The building houses the Middlesex County One-Stop Career Center and Office of Workforce Development, which help residents to train and search for jobs, according to the county website. It’s also home to a federal Social Security Administration office and a state Department of Labor office, according to online listings.

Sign Up for New Brunswick Newsletter Our newsletter delivers the local news that you can trust. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. You have successfully signed up for the TAPinto New Brunswick Newsletter.

First responders and PSE&G personnel checked the structure and the area near the intersection of Jersey and Van Dyke avenues, officials said.

“No gas readings were obtained via our large scale inside and outside leak investigation,” Houston said.

That spurred the New Brunswick Police Department to publish an online alert around 11 a.m. regarding a “non-harmful odor” that was “temporarily present” in the area. The odor didn’t stem from natural gas, “but rather an additive that is used to give natural gas a detectable smell,” according to the alert.

“The odor is not harmful and no emergency is present,” the police department wrote.

The alert attributed the odor to a “nearby manufacturing facility in the area.”





But upon further investigation, PSE&G workers found a “minor leaking condition” from a rooftop heating, ventilation and air-conditioning unit at 550 Jersey Ave., Houston said.

The company shut off gas to the appliance until a contractor could make necessary repairs, she said.

The “small gas leak” didn’t contribute to the smell of natural gas in the area, she added.