Man killed by falling tree in East Orange as fierce storms barrel through Tri-State
Storm damage also led to mass transit delays and power outages
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Downpours and damaging winds from severe thunderstorms Wednesday night brought down trees across the Tri-State, leading to injuries, transit delays and power outages.
In East Orange, New Jersey, a witness says a man was found unconscious under tree debris in the backyard of a home.
The witness says he tried to assist the victim, who is a young father.
"I heard a crack first, then it hit the building and then it swung over, then the neighbor in the backyard. The next thing you know -- it was silent for a second, and then we heard screams from the ladies, then we all ran out and they were saying, 'he's under the tree, he's under the tree,' so we all ran over there to try and help," the witness said.
He and other neighbors ran to the trashed backyard to find frantic family members trying to shake the victim awake. Neighbors attempted CPR as they called 911.
Police rushed the victim to the hospital, but it's not clear what his condition is.
Elsewhere in New Jersey, a large tree landed inches from a big house in Park Ridge. Fortunately, residents were in the home at the time and were not injured.
In Queens, three people were injured, including one critically, after a tree fell onto a car on Duane Road, according to FDNY officials. They say the three victims had to be extricated from the car. They were all taken to North Shore University Hospital.
RELATED | Watches, warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service
That wasn't the only location where trees had fallen on cars. Citizen App video shows a downed tree on car in East New York, Brooklyn, and in Douglaston, Queens.
A massive downed tree took up a whole street in Forest Hills, Queens.
Storm damage disrupts mass transit
Mass transit in New York City was also impacted by storm damage.
M train subway service was delayed in both directions while crews worked to remove a tree from the tracks at Forest Avenue.
Metro North Harlem line service was suspended between Valhalla and Hawthorne because of fallen trees on the tracks near Valhalla.
An LIRR train from Penn Station New York to Port Washington was canceled due to a downed tree on the tracks near Bayside, while several NJ Transit rail lines had service impacted by downed trees and other weather conditions.
Tri-State power outages
The severe weather also led to thousands of power outages in New York and New Jersey.
New Jersey reported over 93,000 customers without power as of 10:20 p.m., while New York had over 72,000 customers without power.
Connecticut reported over 30,000 customers without power Wednesday night.
What else to expect overnight
While the main threats of this storm were expected to be damaging wind and hail, a brief tornado couldn't be ruled out.
The rainfall totals are expected to be range from half an inch to an inch, but there could be localized heavier amounts that could lead to some areas of flash flooding.
The rain is expected to move out by sunrise Thursday. After the storms move through, Thursday will be more comfortable with a drop in humidity and lower temperatures.
ALSO WATCH | Thunderous lightning caught on video on Upper West Side
----------
* Sign up for free newsletters
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit Weather Photos and Videos
Have weather photos or videos to share? Send to Eyewitness News using this form. Terms of use apply.
