The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has launched an investigation into Jersey Central Power & Light’s response to the severe thunderstorms that struck over the Independence Day weekend, leaving more than 200,000 customers without power—some for several days during a dangerous heat wave.

The move comes after Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean), a member of the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee, called on the BPU to hold public reliability hearings following widespread complaints about lengthy outages, poor communication, and restoration delays.

In announcing the investigation, the BPU cited concerns over prolonged outages during extreme temperatures, inadequate communication with local officials, and questions about whether utilities had sufficient restoration resources. The agency is inviting residents affected by the outages to submit public comments and has directed all New Jersey electric utilities to file detailed post-storm response reports by August 4.

Sauickie welcomed the investigation but said more accountability is needed.

“This is a good first step, but it is only a first step,” Sauickie said. “Year after year, we are told JCP&L is investing millions to improve reliability, yet customers continue to experience lengthy outages and poor communication while paying some of the highest utility rates in the nation.”

He is urging the BPU to closely examine restoration timelines, staffing levels, mutual aid deployment, infrastructure failures, vegetation management, customer communications, and whether previous reliability investments have actually improved service.

JCP&L serves approximately 1.1 million customers across New Jersey, including much of Ocean County.