Man dies after possible lightning strike in Monroe Township
Police are continuing to investigate.
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A man died following a possible lightning strike near a Monroe Township solar field Tuesday afternoon.
Police were contacted at about 3 p.m. after dispatchers were told that a man had possibly been struck by lightning on Hoffman Station Road.
When officers and emergency medical crews arrived at the location, they found a 32-year-old man unconscious lying in a field. He was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and pronounced deceased.
Police are not releasing the victim's name until his next-of-kin is notified. The incident remains under investigation.
New Jersey has seen multiple deaths and injuries in recent years due to lightning strikes. Last year, one person was killed and 14 others - including children - were injured during a lightning strike at an archery range in Jackson Township. A Franklin lakes man also died after being struck by lightning while golfing at a course in Sussex County. In 2024, an Ocean County man was fatally struck by lightning while trying to warn beachgoers about an impending thunderstorm in Seaside Park.
Sarah Johnson, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, told News 12 last year that lightning can strike well away from where it is raining. The National Weather Service says if you're caught outside in lightning, there are no safe spots. Find a shelter or a hard-top vehicle and then wait 30 minutes after you see the last flash or hear the last rumble before resuming outside activities.
