Police in New Jersey said a driver's "excessive" use of a face mask might have contributed to a single-car crash last week.

"The crash is believed to have resulted from the driver wearing an N95 mask for several hours and subsequently passing out behind the wheel due to insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake," the Lincoln Park Police Department said in a Facebook post on Friday.

Current statewide guidelines in New Jersey require citizens to wear face coverings when going into public. However, face masks are not necessary for drivers to wear when they are alone in a vehicle.

"As it relates to this specific incident, we reiterate that police officers are not physicians and do not know the medical history of every person we encounter," the police department continued after updating its post to clarify that no determination has been made on whether the face mask contributed to the crash.

"It was stated in the original post that we 'believed' the excessive wearing of an N95 mask was a contributing factor to this accident. While we don't know this with 100% certainty, we do know that the driver had been wearing an N95 mask inside the vehicle for several hours and ultimately passed out while operating the vehicle," it added.

Police said no alcohol or drugs were recovered at the scene of the crash, and an investigation remains ongoing.

