At Least 1 Dead After Powerful Storms Take Down Trees, Flood Streets Across Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Powerful storms took down trees, flooded streets and claimed at least one life overnight.
Last night was an example of how conditions can change in a minute. Even more downpours are expected later today.
Commuters on a W train watched as water poured in from the open car doors.
Others captured flooding inside the Court Square station.
The roads in College Point, Queens looked more like a river.
In Jersey City, cars were left stranded in several inches of water after rain pummeled the area.
"I was just driving and I then thought I could make it, and I actually wasn't able to. My car's too short," driver Manuel Izurieta said.
WATCH: CBS2's Elise Finch Has Your Thursday Morning Forecast
It was a similar situation on the Garden State Parkway. Traffic came to a standstill as rain flooded the roadway.
The dangerous situation turned deadly in Connecticut. Police said 21-year-old Jarrod Marotto was driving in Fairfield when a tree was struck by lightning and fell onto the roof of his car, crushing the vehicle and killing him.
MORE: Summer Heat Survival Guide | Click For Con Ed's Outage Map
Firefighters rushed to Jackson Heights, where a tree and utility pole toppled onto 93rd Street, and to East Elmhurst for a transformer fire, where flames were shooting from a manhole in the middle of an intersection.
In Kearny, smoke filled the air when a landfill caught fire along the turnpike. The cause was believed to be weather-related after lightning flashed across the area.