and a flasher
among numerous calls
Downed trees
and a flasher
among numerous calls
By charles w. kim
Staff Writer
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Township police handled 50 calls in three hours as violent thunderstorms rocked the region Friday night.
"The number of calls shows the intensity of the storm," South Brunswick police spokesperson Detective Jim Ryan said Monday.
Ryan said that officers responded to the influx of calls between 8-11 p.m. Friday night.
Severe thunderstorms pushed through the Central New Jersey region producing dangerous lightning, heavy rain and high winds.
Large trees were uprooted, and homes damaged in Red Bank, Long Branch and Little Silver on the eastern coast of Monmouth County.
While the storms left heavy damage and lingering power outages in Monmouth and Ocean counties, South Brunswick had only minor incidents.
Two homes, according to Ryan, were struck by lightning in the Monmouth Junction and Dayton sections of the township.
One of the homes, on Jeremy Drive, had half of its chimney destroyed, Ryan said.
According to Ryan, the strike took place at about 9:10 p.m. and not only destroyed half of the chimney outside, but also blew out the glass fireplace inside the home.
"The family was about 10 feet away," Ryan said.
The flying glass caused minor injuries to family members.
"The den and dining room were covered in glass," Ryan said.
The Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad responded to the scene to treat family members.
In addition to the strikes, police also dealt with several downed trees, downed power lines at Route 130 and Georges Road, flooding on Route 1 and Ridge Road, and a car that drove into a ditch on North Umberland Way.
"There were no other injuries," Ryan said.
Police also responded to "numerous" false burglar alarms at local businesses.
Ryan compared the night’s activity to the prior evening.
"In the same three-hour period we received nine calls," Ryan said, compared to Friday’s 50 calls.
Strangely enough, lightning was not the only thing flashing Friday night.
At about 8:30 p.m. police responded to the East Gardens Apartments off Georges Road where a 33-year-old female resident reported seeing a flasher in her back yard.
The woman reported that she was standing on her back porch when she heard someone whistle. She told police she then turned to see a man with his pants down and his hand by his groin, according to Ryan.
The suspect, who fled the scene, was described as a thin white male in his early 20s, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall with short dark hair, according to Ryan.
North Brunswick fared better, according to police.
"I don’t think there was any problem from the storm," said North Brunswick police Lt. Russ Fusaro. "I’m not aware of any significant damage. I don’t think anyone was in danger. We had rain with thunder and lightning with windy conditions, but nothing serious or threatening."