finediony New Jersey news: falls

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Top of tree falls on house in Ridgewood

Eyewitness NewsRIDGEWOOD (WABC) -- No one was injured when the top of an old oak tree fell on a home in Ridgewood, New Jersey, early Tuesday.

The tree fell around 6:30 a.m., and the branches poked holes in the roof.

Homeowner Susan Stanek said it sounded like thunder and felt like an earthquake, and that the inside of the house looks like a forest with all the branches. Fire officials say an engineer will inspect the dwelling to determine if it is structually sound. It is believed the tree was rotting on the inside and may have been weakened in the fall snowstorm last October. Officials also say it was likely weighed down by leaves and acorns.

Elsewhere, strong winds are causing damage throughout parts of New Jersey.

Wing gusts ripped a facade from a tattoo shop is Wildwood Tuesday, and there were reports of falling debris damaging the boardwalk there.

A wind advisory is in effect from noon until midnight. Forecasters say southerly winds of 15 to 25 mph could pack gusts up to 45 mph.

The National Weather Service says a strong cold front could produce heavy rain and there's a slight risk for strong thunderstorms Tuesday.

A coastal flood advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. along the Delaware River.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story)

LINK: VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE INCIDENT

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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Father killed after tree falls on tent

Eyewitness NewsNEW JERSEY (WABC) -- A father was killed and his wife critically injured when a large tree fell onto their campsite in New Jersey.

Miraculously, three children who were also in the tent were spared.

The giant Sycamore tree, standing 50 to 75 feet tall and estimated to weigh thousands of pounds, fell onto the tent just after 6 a.m. The father, 46-year-old William Arias, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his wife, 42-year-old Elcetia Arias, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Elcetia Arias's condition has since been upgraded to guarded.

The couple's 9-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, as well as the children's 10-year-old male cousin, escaped injury.

"It was just luck they were in the right part of the tent to escape injury," one official said.

The three children were put in the custody of child services.

The family was from Somerset County and camping in an approved location at Bull's Island Recreation Area in Hunterdon County, near the Delaware River.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Ragonese compared the likelihood of something like this happening to being struck by lighting.

"There were no weather conditions," he said. "There was very light winds. There was no rain. There were no storms. There was nothing that occured other than the tree decided to uproot from the forest."

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