The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Essex County Thursday evening.

The tornado struck in Verona, near the Montclair Golf Club. People who live in the area say that they are not surprised with the confirmation of the tornado. They say that the conditions they experienced seemed like something out of the Midwest.

“We’ve lived here 42 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. It was incredible and frightening,” says Verona resident Barbara Hildebrandt.

Weather officials believe that the tornado touched down inside the golf course and then made its way into Hildebrandt’s yard, bringing a tree from the golf course along with it.

“I heard all this glass clanging here. When I came down, it was whirling. Everything was whirling,” she says. “Just my side garden and my deck. It’ll take some work on our part.”

No injuries were reported. Hildebrandt says her home sustained only minor damage.

But about a block away, diagonally across from Hildebrandt’s home on Sylvan Road, another homeowner was not so lucky. A tree owned by the town fell on the home, severely damaging its roof.

Crews were on the scene for most of the day removing branches one at a time. News 12 New Jersey is told that the woman who lives at the home was not home at the time. No injuries were reported in this situation either.

Neighbors say that they are relieved that no one was hurt, but are still in disbelief that a tornado came through their community.

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