This afternoon’s storm has put the myth of lightning never striking twice to rest. Not one but two homes in Middletown were struck by lightning Wednesday.
Houses on both Lakeside Avenue and Hamilitonian Drive were struck by lightning during the storm. No injuries were reported during either incident.
In the Lakeside Avenue, the odor of smoke permeated throughout the house but there was no active fire.
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About six miles away, the house on Hamiltonian Drive experienced some damage but there was no active fire.
Middletown resident Steve Dowens, 26, was on quick run during the storm, which he admits was not “his best idea”, when he had a close call with the lightning bolt that struck the home on Hamiltonian Drive.
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Dowens said he was about 40 to 50 feet away from the house when the lightning hit. “I saw the light throughout my entire peripheral vision,” Dowens said, as recalled his close call with the bolt.
Elsewhere around the area, mud and rocks covered the southbound lanes on Route 36 and parts of the roadway flooded leaving some cars stranded in the high water.
In front of Kavookjian Field in Highlands, two cars were stuck in the southbound lane after a flash flood left the vehicles in more than a foot of water.
The water has receded but there are still rocks and mud covering the right lane and part of the left lane on Route 36 in front of the field.
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly has issued a flood warning for urban areas and small streams in Northeastern Monmouth County. This remains in effect until 7:15 p.m. tonight.
