News12 New York
Where to Watch
Download the App
Local
Crime
Weather
beWell
The East End
Crime Files

Seven‑hour slowdown ends as Thruway reopens after early‑morning truck fire

Crews are offloading the contents of the truck and have brought in a large tow truck to remove the rig.

Lisa LaRocca

Mar 12, 2026, 12:37 PM

Updated

Share:

More Stories

Traffic on the southbound New York State Thruway in Nyack returned to normal after a tractor‑trailer fire created hours of delays near the Mario Cuomo Bridge.

The fire started around 3:30 a.m. when a Costco 18‑wheeler experienced a brake fire that left the truck fully engulfed. State police said the driver escaped unharmed. Firefighters had difficulty putting out the flames because they reignited several times, and crews had to offload the truck's cargo before the rig could be removed.

Four lanes of traffic were forced into one open lane for much of the morning, leading to miles of backups. Drivers tried to get around the delays, clogging roads in and around Nyack.

Police were able to open more lanes after 8 a.m., but the backlog took time to clear. Traffic is now moving normally.

There is no word on what caused the brake fire.

img_0624.jpeg

More Stories

More From News12

App StoreGoogle Play Store

info

Newsletter

Send Photos/Videos

Contact

About Us

News Team

News 12 New York

follow us

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

more resources

Optimum Corporate

Optimum Service

Advertise on News 12

Careers

Content Removal Policy

© 2026 N12N, LLC

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Ad Choices