Powerful storms cause damage across New Jersey
MADISON, N.J. - A fast-moving storm moved through New Jersey on Friday, leaving a path of destruction behind.
Residents in Madison are now making unexpected repairs on their homes and even cars.
A pile of tree branches filled up the back portion of a Wilson Lane driveway after taking out the family's basketball hoop, their garage door and even part of their roof.
Parts of the home had to be patched and boarded up from the damage caused by fallen branches in the backyard. The master bedroom bore the brunt of the damage -- a hole in the ceiling, leaking and bringing in leaves and dirt from outside.
"Oh, it was super scary. I was very confused. I didn't know what was happening ... It was pretty weird, sounded like something was tampering with the roof," 13-year-old James Kilman said.
James was just watching YouTube videos in his nearby room at around 3:30 p.m. when he heard the loud boom, which must've been when the branches also slammed onto the new family van that only had 2,000 miles on it.
"We had to have a neighbor come over and help us with clean up all the debris," James said.
While the storm damage hasn't displaced family, the master bedroom is unusable.
"There's water all over the place. It's crazy," James said.
The family moved to their Madison home from Chicago four years ago.
"There's been a couple storms, but this has never happened before. We've never had, like, roof damage or anything like that," James said.
The family also believes their new minivan might be beyond repair due to the structural damage caused by the tree branches.
Thankfully, no one there was hurt.
- Related story: Downed tree affecting New Jersey Transit service
About a half a mile away on Keep Street, another large tree fell onto the back of a home, shattering a skylight window while a woman was sitting right under it. Police tell us she got scratched in the face.
Parts of the deck, gutter, and roof were also damaged, and the largest branches had to be lifted out by a crane.
Elsewhere in New Jersey, video shows a car stuck in high water in Newark at the intersection of McClellan Street and Gaibaldi Avenue.
Video from Woodcliff Lake showed hail coming down in one home's backyard.
Additional video from Westwood in Bergen County showed heavy rain and hail.
New Jersey officials are urging drivers to be careful on the roads, warning there are many street closures because of downed poles, trees and branches.
