New Jersey Storm Turns Fatal: Lightning Kills 1, Injures 14
A lightning bolt killed one person and hurt fourteen others- eight of them kids– when it struck an outdoor archery range in New Jersey on July 16, town officials said. The flash hit at 7:07 p.m. at Black Knight Bowbenders in Jackson Township, a Ocean County suburb east of Trenton. The club was holding a Boy Scout tournament when the storm moved in, Joseph Candido, the towns public safety director, told reporters.
A 61-year-old man serving as a scout instructor died at the scene and another victim was rushed to the burn unit at Cooperman Barnabas in Livingston, nearly fifty miles north of Jackson, Candido added . Mayor Michael Reina confirmed that eight of the injured were juveniles and noted everyone at the range- Scouts and leaders- was taken to a hospital. Our condolences go out to the family of the man we lost, the mayor said.
Besides the burn patient, thirteen others, including the eight kids, suffered injuries ranging from minor burns to feelings of electric shock coursing through their limbs, Candido reported. All are expected to survive.
A bolt of lightning hit an apartment complex in town, but staff said only minor damage was found, according to police chief Candido. The strike brought out Jackson First Aid and many other emergency squads, with crews from Freehold, Howell, Toms River, Plumsted, Millstone, and Hatzolah all working the scene.
Mayor: Were There Any Other Problems At The Same Time.
The flash landed shortly before a severe thunderstorm warning was posted for Ocean County on July 16, when storms drifted across much of the eastern and central U.S. The incident fell directly into that warning period.
Nick Guzzo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, said storms like the one over Jackson pop up regularly in summer. Still, his team is checking radar and lightning logs to learn more about the exact moment the bolt struck. After the lightning strike, Reina spoke with Governor Phil Murphy, who pledged state help, equipment, or anything else Jackson asked for.
“I’ve just been updated about a lightning strike that hit an outdoor archery range in Jackson tonight,” Murphy posted on X. “Right now, we know at least one person has died and several others are hurt.” He added that all the injured have already been taken to hospitals by first responders. “Please pray for everyone caught up in this terrible situation.”
The mayor explained that seven outside agencies have jumped in to help, yet the only problem reported so far is at Black Knight Bowbenders. “We’re thankful for the volunteers, but we don’t need help with downed trees or power cuts- this was only a lightning hit,” Reina said.
Severe Weather In The Northeast.
The incident follows major storms that slammed the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions on July 14, dumping heavy rain on cities and leaving some neighborhoods under flash flood warnings.
Two people died in Plainfield, New Jersey-a suburb 30 miles from New York City-after severe storms rolled through, drowning several subway stations across the New York City transit network. Murphy said at a news conference that more than 6 inches of rain fell in less than two-and-a-half hours on the night of July 14.
After the deluge, forecasters issued a heat advisory the next day for parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. That advisory now runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern July 17 for sections of central and southern Delaware, northeast Maryland, and southern New Jersey, the weather service explained.
