New Jersey pizza delivery man marvels at his luck after near-lightning miss
WAYNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A 27-year-old deliveryman described the moments after a lightning strike during storms earlier this week that narrowly missed him.
"I did shout. It was a loud noise. At first, I didn't really know what the noise was," Jovanni Behun said.
Behun is pretty sure the boom of thunder happened right around the same time as the lightning because it was so close.
Somehow, he held on to the bag containing someone's dinner as he was startled but luckily, not hurt.
"I kind of just moved and just kind of hope for the best. And I ended up being the lucky person who is able to see another day," Behun said.
He kept delivering food that evening for Anthony Franco's Pizza in Wayne, not knowing it was captured on video and had gone viral.
He said he feels even luckier after seeing the video and hearing about those who haven't been so lucky after deadly lightning strikes.
Two people have died after being struck in New Jersey this hot and stormy summer.
"Every family that was involved will be in my prayers tonight," Behun said.
About 20 people are killed in lightning strikes each year in the United States.
Simon John Mariani, 28, was hit by lightning on a Sussex County golf course last week and passed away almost a week later.
Robert Montgomery, 61, who was instructing children at an archery range in Jackson Township last night was struck by lightning and died.
Fourteen people, including children, had minor injuries.
Tom Coopey's 10-year-old son was burned when the lightning struck without it even raining.
"I turned around and look and there's bodies on the ground, adults, kids, burns, just other parents of kids screaming," Tom Coopey said.
You might think there's no way to know if lightning will strike close by, but there are systems that can read electrical pulses in the air to predict the possibility of a strike from 5 to 15 miles away.
Some municipalities, like West Orange, have them.
"It can detect that there's a possibility that there's going to be a bolt actually going from air to ground. It will set the alarm off," Director of West Orange Parks and Recreation Jim Latore said.
When you hear thunder and lightning coming closer to you in a storm, get yourself into a building or stay in a car to avoid being hit.
Avoid large open areas, open water, metal fences, and don't take shelter under a tree.
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