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June 4 (UPI) — The pilots of a United Airlines flight that flew low enough to shear off a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike as it landed in May knew they were flying too low but were unable to compensate in time, a preliminary report stated Thursday.

The first officer of United Airlines Flight 169 from Venice, Italy, to Newark Liberty International Airport called out, “Hey you are slow,” just before the Boeing B767-424ER clipped a light pole along the turnpike while approaching Newark’s runway 29, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s initial report of the May 3 accident.

The incident resulted in debris from the light pole impacting a tractor-trailer traveling southbound on the turnpike.

The aircraft was just 19 feet above the busy highway when it connected with the 15-foot-high light post.

Following the impact, the airplane landed and taxied to the gate without further incident, after which the three flight crew members, eight cabin crew members and 220 passengers deplaned at the gate without any injury.

The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained minor injuries, the NTSB said, while the damage to the aircraft was called “substantial.”

The safety agency’s report found that moments after the first officer voiced an initial alarm about the plane being too low, he followed it by saying, “You are still slow and a little low.”

The pilot said at that point he looked outside and recalled, “I thought we were low,” but since they were about to touch down, it was too late to order a “go-around” and abort the landing.

The captain stated that just before touchdown “he heard a thump,” the report said, while the first officer recalled feeling a “mild jolt” as they neared the runway.

After the flight landed, the purser reported that the aft flight attendants heard “a loud bang” just prior to landing.

May 31 (UPI) — Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras J. Baraka instituted a curfew early Sunday in the area around an immigration detention facility where protesters have gathered in reaction to a hunger and labor strike there.

Baraka’s announcement came amid growing conflict between those supporting the hunger strikers at Delaney Hall detention facility and those who support the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The strike has been in effect since May 22 with detainees protesting what they describe as inhumane conditions at the facility.

Supporters of the strikers have gathered outside the facility since the start of the strike, and some have gotten into scuffles with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, prompting anti-immigration protesters to join the demonstrations.

“Due to the escalating situation at Delaney Hall and the increasing need for police intervention, immediate action is required to protect public safety,” Baraka said in a statement. “Multiple individuals have already been arrested and found in possession of weapons, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.”

Baraka said the curfew went into effect at midnight and applied to a half-mile surrounding the facility. He closed Doremus Avenue to all pedestrian traffic and limited vehicle traffic to those with official business in the area.

“This curfew will remain in effect nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice,” the mayor said.

In his statement, he said those violating the curfew will be issued a warning, and non-compliance would “result in removal from the area and the issuance of appropriate summonses and/or further legal action.”