Gov. Murphy responds after deadly New Jersey storm kills 3, causing significant damage and outages across Plainfield and nearby towns.
Governor Phil Murphy responded Thursday night to a deadly line of severe thunderstorms that tore through Central New Jersey, killing three people and leaving tens of thousands without power. The storm caused widespread damage in towns including Plainfield, North Plainfield, Bound Brook, and Dunellen. In a statement posted on X, Murphy urged residents to stay indoors and avoid downed trees, power lines, and burning transformers.The Context
The storm struck just ahead of the July 4 holiday, disrupting celebrations and underscoring the vulnerability of infrastructure to increasingly intense weather events. With power outages affecting over 45,000 residents and emergency services stretched thin, the storm has renewed calls for investment in climate resilience and disaster preparedness.What to Know
Three people were killed during the storm: one in North Plainfield and two in Plainfield. One victim, a woman from Middlesex County, died when a massive tree fell on her car during the storm, according to North Plainfield Mayor Lawrence La Ronde.
Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp declared a state of emergency, citing downed trees, power lines, and structural damage. In one case, a tree sliced through the roof of a home office where a resident would have been working had she not taken the day off.
