NEED TO KNOW
- Lightning struck a group of people at Black Knight Bowbenders, an outdoor archery range in Jackson Township, N.J., on Wednesday, July 16
- A group of Boy Scouts was on site when the incident occurred, and four children were taken to local hospitals for their injuries
- A 61-year-old man, who was the instructor teaching the children, was killed by the lightning strike
Lightning struck a group of people at an outdoor archery range in Jackson Township, N.J., on Wednesday, July 16, according to The New York Times, NBC News and ABC 7.
A 61-year-old man died from his injuries. He has not been publicly identified, but he was an instructor at the Black Knight Bowbenders, club member Gene Grodzki told ABC 7. An additional 13 people were injured, and their ages range from 7 to 61 years old.
Around 7:15 p.m. local time, Jackson Police were alerted that lightning struck several people and one person was administered CPR at the Black Knight Bowbenders archery range, Jackson Police Chief Matthew Kunz said, per NBC News.
“It was insanely loud, and the Earth… like the Earth exploded and it was dirt flying, flying everywhere,” Grodzki told ABC 7. “When it hit and I turned around, it was at least seven, maybe eight people on the ground flat.”
Upon authorities’ arrival, several people were being treated, Chief Kunz said, adding that one person had lost consciousness but then regained consciousness. Grodzki noted that first responders had to administer a defibrillator to two club members, per the NYT.
Additionally, around 20 people connected to Jackson Scouts Troop 204, a Boy Scouts of America-affiliated group, were on site when the incident occurred, Grodzki said. He stated that the children seemed to be okay, but they were transported in ambulances “just in case.”
Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina told ABC 7 that the lightning appeared to hit near a scouting group, and CPR was administered to at least one person who survived.
The 13 injured victims have varying injuries, from burns to complaints of not feeling well.
Authorities don’t believe that the surviving victims have life-threatening injuries, but they were transported to local hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center. One victim was taken to the Livingston Burn Center, per ABC 7.
Grodzki told the outlet that four of the children and three adults were taken to the local hospitals.
“This is such a tragedy,” Reina told the outlet. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and all those injured tonight. It’s difficult to understand what happened.”
Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey posted a statement to X, sharing that he was alerted of the “tragic incident.”
The Weather Service and the National Lightning Safety Council report that at least 11 people have been killed by lightning in the United States this year. Lightning typically strikes between June and August, according to the council.
The National Weather Service reports that on average, around 20 people a year are killed by lightning, while hundreds more are injured.
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A representative for the Jackson Township Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.
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