Extreme heat causes people to faint at New Jersey graduation ceremony, official says
Dozens of people were treated for heat-related illnesses after lining up outside Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson for high school graduations, New Jersey officials said.
It happened as students' family and friends waited in the scorching heat to enter the venue Monday morning.
Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale told CBS News New York that numerous EMS personnel were at the stadium at around 11 a.m., as people started passing out from the heat and were taken for treatment.
Five people were hospitalized for dehydration, he said.
One women said she was treated in an ambulance after suffering an asthma attack.
"They gave me the breathing machine. They wanted to take me, but I didn't want to go because I didn't want to miss my son's graduation," she said.
Paterson graduation ceremonies cut short due to hot weather
Three of the four afternoon graduation ceremonies were cut short because of the heat and health concerns.
"They didn't call nobody else's name, they canceled it. All they did was say congratulations to everybody," another woman said. "Everybody should've graduated last week when it was cool, because y'all knew this heat wave was coming.
Paterson did not say why it chose to hold graduation ceremonies at the stadium on one of the hottest days of the year, even though it posted an on its website.
"Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, try to stay indoors with air conditioning or fans, avoid doing strenuous outdoor activities, avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. If you must go outside, wear light clothing and try to stay in shaded areas," it said.
The Paterson Free Public Library on Broadway and Northside Public Library on Temple Street are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow residents to cool off.
Extreme heat warnings
Much of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut is under an excessive heat warning as temperatures soar into the 90s, where they are expected to remain for the next two days. The heat index could reach a whopping 100 to 110 degrees.
The sweltering weather could set records. If the temperature in New York City reaches 100 degrees on Monday, it would be its hottest day since July 18, 2012.
An air quality alert was also issued across much of the area due to ground-level ozone.
