Three dead after destructive storm in Central Jersey

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
Three dead after destructive storm in Central Jersey

Contractors work to clear damaged trees after the July 3 storm in North Edison. ZFJ/Zoe Wu

EDISON, N.J., July 4 (ZFJ) — A destructive storm tore through Central Jersey on Thursday, July 3, leaving trees felled, wires downed, and three dead.

The thunderstorm suddenly rolled in at around 6:00 p.m. and lasted until 6:30 p.m. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a severe thunderstorm warning and advised that winds could reach up to a “DESTRUCTIVE” 80 miles per hour.

Although the storm was fairly short, the winds brought down many tree branches and power lines. ZFJ editor-in-chief Alvin Wu listened to the Edison Fire Department scanner for several minutes following the storm and heard fire crews going from street to street to survey the damage and report downed lines. His listening session was cut short by a power outage.

At about 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, PSE&G reported 38,537 customers affected by 849 outages. At the same time, JCP&L reported that 6,266 customers were affected.

Edison Mayor Sam Joshi reported on an Instagram Story that, as of 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4, 3,200 homes were without power, with PSE&G responding to 85 incidents in Edison. The township’s Fourth of July celebration was not cancelled.

NJ Transit reported at 7:08 p.m. on Thursday that Raritan Valley Line rail service was suspended in both directions due to downed trees on the tracks between Plainfield and Bound Brook.

Stuck on the train, on a bridge, between Dunellen and Plainfield
byu/tiny_buttonss inNJTransit

A local official reported to NWS New York that a large tree fell on a car on Myrtle Avenue in Plainfield, resulting in two deaths. The City of Plainfield identified the two individuals as Rocco Sansone, 79, of North Plainfield and Brian Ernesto Valladares, 25, of Plainfield and an El Salvador native. Plainfield’s mayor declared a state of emergency.

North Plainfield Mayor Lawrence La Ronde confirmed to local media that a Middlesex County woman had been driving along Greenbrook Road. She pulled over during the storm and was crushed to death by a large tree and electrical wires.

In a public information statement at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, NWS Mount Holly reported “widespread tree damage across many municipalities, including but not limited to Far Hills, Bernards, North Plainfield, Dunellen, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Green Brook Township, Bound Brook, Edison, Woodbridge and Metuchen.” The weather office said that the damage is consistent with “straight-line winds and downbursts” and that the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar in Newark estimated wind speeds to range from 65-80 mph.

Contractors use equipment to clear out branches following the July 3 storm in North Edison. ZFJ/Zoe Wu Contractors use equipment to clear out branches following the July 3 storm in North Edison. ZFJ/Zoe Wu

Wu conducted a limited damage survey in North Edison on Friday. He observed numerous crews of contractors working to clean up branches strewn about as well as cut trees damaged near power lines. He saw that one house on Irene Court had a tree fall on it but sustained minimal damage to its roof.

The roof of a house on Irene Court has sustained minor damage from a tree. ZFJ/Zoe Wu The roof of a house on Irene Court has sustained minor damage from a tree. ZFJ/Zoe Wu

References