Two Women Struck By Lightning At Point Pleasant Beach

Point Pleasant Beach, NJ - Two women were struck by lightning this afternoon as they fled the beach in advance of severe storms, Point Pleasant Beach police said.

A 63-year-old woman was hit at the foot of New Jersey Avenue at 2:53 p.m. She was given CPR at the scene, but was alert by the time she was taken to Ocean Medical Center in Brick, police said on the department's Facebook page.

A 54-year-old woman, who was about a half a mile away from the first woman, was struck at 3:01 p.m. while she sat in a vehicle in a parking lot at 300 Ocean Ave. She was alert when she was also taken to the hospital, police said.

Both women are expected to recover.

The National Weather Service had forecast a mostly sunny day, with no threat of lightning. But by 2 p.m., forecasters were issuing severe thunderstorm warnings, wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour and penny-size hail.

Patch will update when more information is available.