‘Like a freight train coming through’: 2 tornadoes touched down Tuesday in NJ during height of Isaias

The National Weather Service confirms that two tornadoes touched down in New Jersey during the height of Isaias – one in Ocean County and the other in Cape May County.

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In total, six tornadoes were associated with the storm, including two in Pennsylvania, one in Delaware and one in Maryland.

One tornado ripped through an almost two-mile section of Upper Township, making a straight line across Route 9.

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“It came through basically over Strathmere, touchdown somewhere around the 23.8-mile marker of the parkway and from southeast to northwest,” says Upper Township OEM Scott Morgan. “Just cut a path through our Palermo and Marmora area.”

People nearby say while they knew the weather was going to be bad, the tornado came out of nowhere.

DRONE FOOTAGE: Damage above Upper Township

“I couldn’t exactly put a finger on it initially, but after in hindsight, I was like yep, that’s what it sounds like,” says Nick Wieand, owner of Allegra Marketing. “Just like a freight train coming through.”

Wieand was inside with five others when it came through. He says it happened so fast, one of his tenants didn’t even make it downstairs.

“By that time, it was occurring and she hunkered down in the closet upstairs and kept to herself and then after it passed she came down,” says Wieand.

No one was injured, but more than a dozen properties were damaged. Route 9 was shut down for hours after trees and wires covered the road. Clean up is underway, but could take weeks. Many are without power as Atlantic City Electric works to repair downed poles and wires. Officials urge residents who have damage to their properties to be careful.

“Stay away from wires, don’t try and cut trees down if you’re not a professional and knows what you’re doing because we do have a lot of electrical wires, you don’t know if they’re energized and safety first,” says Morgan.

According to their map, Atlantic City Electric, whose coverage area includes Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties, estimates it will be a few more days before everyone is out of the dark.