By: Richard L. Smith
Update: Juan José Angeles Lopez, 30, died from his injuries.
A fierce storm ripped through North Jersey on Wednesday night, wreaking havoc as emergency responders scrambled to manage multiple crises.
The aftermath in East Orange was particularly severe after a day when temperatures soared to 95 degrees in neighboring Newark.
The storm, marked by heavy downpours and damaging winds just before 8:30 p.m., triggered widespread destruction.
Emergency crews in East Orange were dispatched to 105 Munn Avenue after reports surfaced of a man trapped under a tree. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered an unconscious and unresponsive man pinned beneath a tree in a backyard.
The unidentified man was extricated and urgently transported to East Orange General Hospital, with CPR being administered en route. Police said Juan José Angeles Lopez, 30, died from his injuries.
Elsewhere in East Orange, another tree fell on a residence along the 100 block of North 17th Street, although, fortunately, no serious injuries were reported there.
The storm's reach extended beyond East Orange. In Bergen County, the Park Ridge community saw tree falls, including an incident at 195 Park Avenue where a tree strike caused a living room to collapse, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries for at least one person.
Livingston and Hawthorne also reported major damage. In Livingston, a tree demolished part of a house at 166 Hillside Avenue, and in Hawthorne, a tree caved in the roof of a home at 357 Warburton Avenue and another at 640 Lincoln Avenue.
The violent weather caused power outages and made many roads impassable as trees blocked thoroughfares across North Jersey, illustrating the storm's broad and destructive impact.