3 killed as severe storms slam Central New Jersey, topple trees
A line of powerful storms left behind widespread damage, major outages and at least three deaths in Central New Jersey.
The evening before the Fourth of July, severe thunderstorms swept through the Northeast with heavy rain, pelting hail and gusty winds.
A powerful line of thunderstorms swept through central New Jersey on Wednesday, leaving a trail of damage, widespread power outages and at least three fatalities.
One woman was killed in North Plainfield when a tree and some power lines fell onto her car as she sat pulled over along Greenbrook Road, according to North Plainfield Mayor Lawrence La Ronde. “It was very chaotic,” witness Michelle Smith told ABC 7. “A lot of people were trying to look inside the car. The car lights were still on, and after some time, we realized with the conditions of the storm and the size of that tree that most likely the person had been deceased.”
Two additional deaths occurred in nearby Plainfield, where Mayor Adrian O. Map declared a state of emergency after large trees and electrical lines came crashing down across roads, homes and vehicles.
In one dramatic moment, a car was reportedly tossed into the air. Resident Donna Lynn returned home to find a tree had crashed through her roof into the room where she normally works. “I would've been up there… I'm just glad we're safe,” she told ABC 7.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy urged residents to avoid downed wires and debris, noting that multiple towns sustained serious damage.
As of Friday morning, cleanup efforts were underway with nearly 32,000 customers in New Jersey still without power, according to Poweroutage.us, along with 37,000 in New York City, 50,000 in Rhode Island and 20,000 in Massachusetts.
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