Fatalities reported as severe storms hit parts of New Jersey, governor says
Deaths were reported after severe thunderstorms hit parts of New Jersey on Thursday evening.
"I have been briefed on the severe thunderstorm and heavy winds that hit Central Jersey this evening and resulted in fatalities. The towns of Plainfield, North Plainfield, Bound Brook, and Dunellen sustained damage, among others," Gov. Phil Murphy said .
Further details on the fatalities have not yet been released.
Residents in affected areas are urged to stay inside and avoid downed trees, power lines and burning transformers.
The storms also caused thousands of power outages. At one point, nearly 40,000 PSE&G customers were impacted.
Plainfield mayor declares state of emergency
The mayor of Plainfield declared a state of emergency Thursday due to extremely severe weather conditions.
CBS News New York crews found multiple downed trees and power lines around the area, including one that came crashing down onto a home.
Roads were blocked off due to the debris, and police were out making sure drivers avoided fallen power lines.
"It got dark so quickly that I looked up from my phone because it felt like a giant was walking past my window," Plainfield resident Iman Damon said. "And then I had my window open because I was like, what's going on? And the wind came so fast, it blew things away from my window. And then the rain came so strong, it was like I was in a car wash."
"I've been seeing trees falling down all over the town. There's actually some trees falling down right here. The power went out. It's all crazy down," Tristan Damon said.
In South Plainfield, winds were gusting over 60 mph, and there were reports of trees and wires down.
