Three Killed In New Jersey As Storm Uproots Trees, Crushes Cars, Flattens Homes

Three people, including a Middlesex lady, a 79-year-old man, and a 25-year-old Plainfield resident, were killed by a powerful thunderstorm that tore across New Jersey on Thursday night, July 3. The storm also left Union and Somerset counties in ruins.

North Plainfield Police Department

Below are storm photographs from Edison; scroll for fatalities.

North Plainfield:

North Plainfield Police Chief Alan McKay said that at approximately 6:30 p.m., a 44-year-old Middlesex woman was traveling east on Greenbrook Road in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee when she pulled over to the north side of the road.

According to a press release from McKay, a big tree and a significant section of the sidewalk were uprooted and fell over Greenbrook Road while the victim’s car was stopped, landing on top of it. Several houses and a second car were also damaged.

While trying to approach the victim, emergency personnel had to contend with live electrical lines and a tree that was dangerously unstable. At the scene, the woman was declared dead. Her identity is still unknown. An autopsy is being performed by the Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

The North Plainfield Police Traffic Safety Division can be reached at (908) 769-2931 by anyone with information.

Plainfield:

According to municipal officials on Friday, July 4, a tree fell on the car of 79-year-old Rocco Sansone of North Plainfield and 25-year-old Brian Ernesto Valladares of Plainfield, killing them.

El Salvador was the birthplace of Valladares. Their fatalities serve as a tragic reminder of the storm’s unexpected and destructive might, according to the City of Plainfield.

Over 80 trees were reported to have fallen across the city, many of them entangled in wires or obstructing important thoroughfares. Numerous automobiles were crushed, and some houses sustained structural damage. Power outages are still occurring in apartment buildings and residential areas.

PSE&G has established a mobile command trailer at the Office of Emergency Management and sent out restoration personnel. In order to provide Red Cross aid, emergency supplies, and conditioning, the city also opened its Senior Center at 400 East Front Street.

Mutual assistance from Union County, Westfield, Cranford, and the New Jersey State Police is still being provided by the Plainfield Police and Fire Departments.