Severe storms down power lines across Hackensack, Tri-State area

HACKENSACK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Severe storms wreaked havoc across the Tri-State on Friday evening, leaving a trail of damage.

Powerful winds uprooted large trees across neighborhood blocks in New Jersey.

In Hackensack, there are reports of trees down for blocks. The National Weather Service is warning residents of downed wires and are looking for residents in Bergen and Hudson counties to report storm damage.

"It touched down and then it was gone because in other neighborhoods they had nothing like this," said Erin Kristoff, "The wind felt like it was gonna just take the house up and away. It felt like a tornado was coming through and everything started to shake and then I heard 'boom boom!'"

A house sliced open at the chimney like a hot knife through butter. Transformers were smashed to the ground. Power lines tangled like spaghetti, knocking out electricity for blocks.

"I was actually upstairs in my room and everything turns white because all the rain and all the wind, so by the time I run down the steps I see that the tree is already like moving with the wind. It got the windshield, the hood, the fender here the other fender," said Joseph Calderon.

Since the power was knocked out it was hard to see on the streets of Hackensack on Friday night -- cars are driving over and through the downed power lines.

"I've been Hackensack for a long time. 35 years. Never seen anything like this in my life," said Tamer Hassan.

There is no word from the National Weather Service if it was in fact a tornado.