The leaner at about 5p Sunday. (Click to enlarge)

A precariously bent utility pole caused Red Bank police to shut down Broad Street between Bergen Place and Pinckney Road beginning at about noon Sunday.

Though the upper part of the pole had been leaning toward the street for some time, the condition had noticeably worsened in recent days, calling for an emergency detour of traffic away from that block, an officer on the scene told redbankgreen.

With the National Weather Service’s issuance of a tornado warning Sunday, the replacement of the pole became more urgent, he said.

But the tornado, and threatened rainstorms, did not materialize, and a crew from JCP&L installed a second pole, to which they cinched the leaner.

By early Monday morning, the crew was gone and Broad Street was open in both directions.