1 dead, 14 hurt after lightning strike at New Jersey archery range

One person was killed and over a dozen others were injured after being struck by lightning in Jackson Township, New Jersey on Wednesday.

It happened at the Black Knight Bowbenders outdoor archery range just before 7:15 p.m.

Lightning strike happened during children’s archery competition, instructors says

Gene Grodzki, a volunteer and instructor at the range, said over a dozen children were at the range with their parents for a competition, and there was no sight of a storm or rain when the lightning strike happened.

“The earth exploded. Dirt went flying everywhere. And when I turned around, there was at least seven people down on the ground, flat,” he said.

Grodzki said he ran to get a defibrillator, then performed CPR on a club member named Robert Montgomery. Unfortunately, the 61-year-old man died from his injuries.

“On behalf of the club here, we are heartbroken over the loss of a wonderful man on our property,” Grodzki said.

Montgomery had been a member of the club for several years, according to Grodzki.

“We lost a great man who was out here doing something very charitable on a volunteer basis to try and help little kids,” he said.

Jackson Township Police say 14 other people were hurt and taken to local hospitals for treatment. The youngest victim was 7 years old.

At least one victim suffered burns and at least one person lost consciousness but later regained it, while others reported “not feeling well,” police say.

In a post on X, Gov. Phil Murphy said he had been briefed on the strike.

“Please pray for everyone involved in this tragic incident,” he wrote, in part.

The lightning strike happened as storms moved through the area, at one point triggering a severe thunderstorm warning in Ocean County.

Lightning strikes across New York and New Jersey

This is at least the third incident of a person getting struck by lightning in the Tri-State Area in the past month.

Simon John Mariani, of Franklin Lakes, was struck by lightning on July 8 as he was golfing in Hamburg. The 28-year-old died from his injuries Monday, according to an obituary posted by Vander Plaat-Vermeulen Memorial Home.

Back in June, a 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning in New York City’s Central Park. He said he was knocked unconscious and suffered second-degree burns to his torso and legs, but he is expected to be OK.

The odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million.