Man killed, several injured by falling trees throughout NY, NJ during powerful storms
NEW YORK (WABC) -- At least one person was killed and several others were injured after a powerful storm system moved through the Tri-State area.
Downed trees across the area caused a slew of problems -- knocking out power lines and also falling on roads, cars and homes.
In East Orange, New Jersey, a 30-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on him in his backyard around 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Juan Jose Angeles Lopez was trying to secure the backyard before the worst of the storm approached when the massive tree cracked, leaving him buried.
His family said he was the father of a 2-year-old and his wife is seven months pregnant. She spent the night hospitalized and was monitored after she was overwhelmed by grief.
"This is heart wrenching, and as a community, we are going to do whatever we can to help Mr. Lopez' wife and family during this difficult time," said Mayor Ted Green.
Friends and loved ones started a GoFundMe to help support the family.
The City of East Orange is also accepting clothing, baby items, etc. for the family and children. Donations may be dropped off at any East Orange Firehouse 24 hours a day or at the Department of Health and Human Services,.
Woman injured in Park Ridge
In Park Ridge, New Jersey, Rebecca Wansing was seriously injured by a tree that fell through her Park Avenue house.
Wansing was downstairs watching TV on the couch with her dog when the tree sliced through the upstairs and first-floor ceiling.
She reacted quickly to cover the family dog, and when police arrived, they were surprised to see she had survived.
She was struck in the head by collapsing ceiling. Her husband, who was upstairs, rushed down and provided first aid.
She was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center and has since been treated and released.
Their house is now off of its foundation and every major support beam in the structure was ripped to shreds.
Queens damage and injuries
In Fort Totten, Queens, a 64-year-old driver and his two passengers, a 70-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman, were injured after the car they were sitting in was smashed by a tree.
Police say it happened when the vehicle was stopped in traffic on Duane Road, inside a park at around 9 p.m.
All three people were taken to an area hospital and are expected to survive.
In Queens Village, a downed tree snapped in half after residents in the area say it was struck by lightning.
"As soon as the lightning struck the tree, the power just went out. And I looked up and I saw the tree outside and it just fell on the power lines and everything just went black," resident Ashton Usher said.
Citizen App video also showed trees down in Douglaston and Forest Hills, but no injuries have been reported there.
Power and traffic
New York City Transit crews worked to remove a tree from the tracks near Beverley Rd on the B/Q lines in Brooklyn. Because of the tree, there was no southbound Q service in most of Brooklyn and no B train service.
After a five-hour operation to remove the tree, B train service resumed with delays in both directions.
On Staten Island, a tree crashed down on a car in the Westerleigh section, but no injuries were reported.
More than 50,000 customers were without power on Thursday morning in New Jersey, while a few hundred people were affected in New York City.
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