2 killed, house explodes during floods that hit NJ during Monday storm

🌧️Several inches of rain fell in a short amount of time

🌧️A house caught fire and exploded in a waterlogged neighborhood

🌧️A man trapped in his car was dragged to safety using a rope

A house exploded in North Plainfield and two people died when their car was swept away in Plainfield following heavy rain that flooded streets and subway stations from Central Jersey to Manhattan.

Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp said a vehicle with two people inside was swept into Cedar Brook during the storm on Monday night. They were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Mapp. Their deaths come just over a week after people were killed during strong thunderstorms on July 3, including two in this city.

“All of Plainfield grieves this latest loss,” Mapp said in a statement. “To lose four residents in such a short span of time is unimaginable. We mourn with the families, and we remain committed to doing all we can to strengthen our emergency response systems and protect our residents from future harm.”

In Somerset County, Watchung received nearly 7 inches of rain from the afternoon through late evening, while Green Brook received 6.29 inches. Parts of Bergen and Passaic counties received 4 inches while as much as 2 inches fell in parts of Warren and Ocean counties.

In North Plainfield, a house was left in total ruins after an explosive fire in a Parkview Avenue neighborhood hit by flooding, according to reports from ABC 7 Eyewitness News and News 12 New Jersey. Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire and any correlation with the high standing water.

ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported that four residents who were initially unaccounted for have been located. News 12 reported that some neighboring homes were also damaged. Residents on social media described feeling what felt like an earthquake before the explosion, according to RLS Metro Breaking News.

ALSO READ: Here's how to protect and prepare your home from flooding in NJ

Front loader, rope used in rescues

North Plainfield Mayor Lawrence La Ronde told ABC 7 Eyewitness News that residents of at least 30 homes had to be rescued after up to nine streets flooded. Gov. Phil Murphy will tour flood and storm damage in Berkeley Heights at 10 a.m.

In one dramatic rescue captured on video, a man was harnessed and pulled through the rushing water of the Watchung River from his car, which was stuck on a road in Scotch Plains. A front loader was used to rescue another trapped group.

Route 78, which was closed westbound and partially closed eastbound in the Summit area during the storms, is fully open. Despite standstill traffic, there were no rescues or abandoned vehicles, according to State police Sgt. Charles Marchan.

ALSO READ: NJ cop recovers after being hit by speeding NJ Transit bus

Dozens of Newark Liberty flight cancellations

The storms had a major impact on Newark Liberty International Airport, with 66 departures and 79 arrivals canceled today as of 4 a.m., according to FlightAware.com.

One positive from the storm was a lack of lingering, widespread power outages for PSE&G and JCP&L customers.

Over 3,000 PSE&G customer and just over 800 JCP&L customers are without power as of 7 a.m.

July deaths in storms

North Plainfield was hard hit by heavy rains at the start of the Fourth of July weekend. A tree fell on a Jeep Cherokee traveling on Greenbrook Road, killing a 44-year-old Middlesex Borough driver.

During the same July 3 storm in Plainfield, Rocco Sansone, 79, and Brian Ernesto Valladares, 25, were killed by a tree that fell onto their vehicle.

ALSO READ: Body of driver identified after crashing off Delaware River bridge

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom