Traffic snarled on the Berlin Turnpike Tuesday morning as people lined up for the opening of New England’s first Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in Newington, Connecticut.

By 5 a.m., when the store’s “Hot Doughnuts Now” sign lit up for the first time, several hundred people were waiting outside.

Chris Ahern, 12, was the first customer in line. The boy and his family had been camping out in front of the store since Sunday afternoon.

His effort was rewarded with a year’s supply of free doughnuts.

The North Carolina-based Krispy Kreme is trying to make inroads in a region dotted by 1,500 Dunkin’ Donuts stores.

A Rhode Island company is developing Krispy Kreme’s New England stores. The next ones are slated for Cranston, R.I.; Medford, Mass.; and Milford, Conn. Nick Janikies, the head of The Jan Companies, said the company wants to build 100 stores in the region.

–Associated Press