A 6-month-old boy and his grandfather were killed by a falling tree in Verona, N.J. on Monday night.
The incident occurred shortly after 7 p.m., about 10 miles northwest of Newark in Essex County. Personnel responding to the home found the infant and 61-year-old man in the backyard, where an uprooted tree had landed on them.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital where the died from their injuries. Their identities have not been released.
It remains unclear what caused the incident, but multiple storms were reported throughout the tri-state area on Monday night around the same time as the emergency call. No further details were released.
“The Verona police, fire and rescue squads’ thoughts are focused on the family during this difficult and unfathomable tragic time,” Verona Police Chief Christopher Kiernan said. “Please keep this family in your prayers.”
An average of 58 people per year are killed by high winds, according to the National Weather Service. However, the agency doesn’t track specific statistics related to deaths caused by falling trees.
Multiple people in the northeast were killed by falling trees in April, including Catherine Tusiani, the wife of New York Yankees Senior VP of Partnership Michael Tusiani.
