Strong storms leave damage and thousands without power in Monmouth and Ocean Counties
In Brick and Marlboro, crews spent much of the day clearing debris.
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Cleanup efforts continued across Monmouth and Ocean Counties on Saturday after powerful storms swept through New Jersey Friday night, bringing strong winds that toppled trees, downed power lines and left thousands of customers without electricity.
In Brick, crews spent much of the day clearing debris on Tina Lee Court after a transformer caught fire. Residents described seeing heavy smoke and bright flashes in the sky and hearing loud explosions as the storm moved through.
"It was just a normal night, and then all of a sudden I thought it was a tornado," one resident said. "The transformer blew and the whole sky lit up."
The outages have been especially difficult for some families during the ongoing heat and humidity. One resident said both family members have lung issues; one recently completed cancer treatment, making the loss of air conditioning a major concern.
Some were forced to replace batteries and fans to get through the outage, while some lost all of the food stored in their refrigerators after the power went out.
The damage wasn't limited to Brick. Marlboro also saw downed trees, damaged power lines and road closures as crews worked to remove debris and restore service.
Thousands of customers remained without power in Monmouth County Saturday evening. Utility crews continued working to restore electricity, but there was no estimated timeline for when service would be fully restored.
