Gov. Murphy: 2 women died while trapped in car by floodwaters in Plainfield

It is believed the vehicle was caught in rising water at the height of the storm.

News 12 Staff

Jul 15, 2025, 1:26 PM

Updated 5 hr ago

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Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed that two women in Plainfield died Monday when they were trapped in their car as floodwaters from downpours surrounded them.
The car was eventually swept away into the Cedar Brook.
The two women have not yet been identified. Plainfield officials say that two others died in a storm on July 3.
Murphy spoke about the intensity of the storms that landed in Union and Somerset counties.
“Last night, we got crushed. Not just here in Berkeley Heights but in this part of the state in particular,” the governor said. “We are getting dragged by climate.”
The flooding and storm damage resulted from six inches of rain that fell in two and a half hours.
In Berkeley Heights, News 12 saw low-lying areas where the water tore up asphalt and created a mudslide. Businesses, homes and cars took on water from flooding.
“Large boulders that have rolled down Mountain Avenue. We’ve seen buckling on some our crosswalks on Park Avenue where the western part of it is compromised,” said Berkeley Heights Mayor Angie Devanney. “We have utility poles that will have to come out of the ground.”