Snow, freezing rain hits New Jersey roads as winter storm causes dangerous damage

In New Jersey, the winter storm quickly turned into a freezing and dangerous mess, with state officials going on high alert after declare a state of emergency and warning drivers to stay off the roads.

Roads across the Garden State were pelted with heavy bands of snow, sleet and freezing rain, as the Friday evening commute went from snow to slush in a matter of hours.

The state Department of Transportation announced a ban on commercial vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, at least until Saturday morning.

Slippery roads were a major concern for Bergen County officials as the snowstorm approached.

“We have six major hospitals here in Bergen County. We need to make sure all the roads around those hospitals are accessible,” said County Executive James Tedesco.

Although downtown Ridgewood looked quaint, it was far from pretty along Route 17, where there were near whiteout conditions and even some fallout.

Previously, foot traffic was steady at an East Rutherford supermarket, where shoppers wanted to make sure they had essentials before the big storm.

“Bread, eggs, bacon. All the basics, you know,” Sonny Djonha said.

Metro Wine and Liquors, a store that prides itself on being open 365 days a year, said the snow could slow its popular delivery service overnight.

“With this weather, it looks like we are going to close the delivery service because the situation is going to get worse for the drivers,” Jai Patel said.

Before the snowflakes hit the sidewalk, many homeowners made their seasonal pilgrimage to local hardware stores to stock up on shovels and salt, if there was any left.