Two people in New Jersey were killed after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters Monday night, as a powerful storm system moved through the Northeast and triggered flash flooding, travel delays, and infrastructure strain across the region.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed the deaths occurred in Plainfield, a city in northern New Jersey that also saw two storm-related fatalities earlier this month. A third person was killed on July 3 in neighboring North Plainfield.
“We’re not unique, but we’re in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now,” Murphy told reporters Tuesday during a visit to storm-damaged areas in Berkeley Heights. “Everybody needs to stay alert.”
Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims. Flash flooding impacted multiple communities across the state, with some roads remaining closed Tuesday and emergency crews continuing cleanup operations.
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings across parts of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania late Monday as intense rainfall overwhelmed local drainage systems. In one North Plainfield neighborhood, a house caught fire and collapsed — possibly due to an explosion — shortly after the family inside had evacuated. No injuries were reported.
The storm also disrupted air travel throughout the region. Newark Liberty International Airport saw more than 150 flight cancellations and dozens of delays, according to FlightAware data.
In New York City, the storm overwhelmed parts of the subway system. Videos circulating on social media showed water pouring into subway stations and rising up through train car floors.
