A vehicle that caught fire in the middle of a highway in Essex County snarled traffic for more than three miles this evening.
It happened in the southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway just before exit 144 in East Orange where a car stalled in the middle lane somehow burst into flames causing traffic to back up past the Essex Toll Plaza before 5:45 p.m.
Firefighters use the northbound lanes to fight the blaze that was placed under control in under 15 minutes.
Traffic resumed shortly after with significant delays, but there were no injuries reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by NJ State Police.