Giant tree crashes down on 2 homes in East Orange; Wind a possible factor

EAST ORANGE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Wind may have been a factor when a tree came crashing down on two homes in New Jersey early Monday.

The tree fell on Fulton Street in East Orange, landing squarely on the homes and causing extensive damage.

"It sounded like an earthquake," the homeowner said. "It was unbelievable. Glass was moving everywhere. The whole house was shaking."

Branches went through the bathroom window and the siding, falling all the way down through the first-floor ceiling.

"My wife had to crawl under the table," the homeowner said. "I tell her to stop moving, because we don't know what's going on. When all the noise stop and I came outside, I seen this here. It's horrendous."

Next door, the trunk crashed through the roof of a bedroom, but luckily, that family was not home at the time.

"We were out of town, and my neighbor called me," homeowner Maria Del La Cruz said. "And they send me all the pictures, and they say, 'something happened to your house.'"

Tall, mature trees line most streets in the community, and when the winds are up, it is time to worry.

Neighbors are now concerned about other trees on the block, many of which they say appear to be leaning.