July 4 (UPI) -- Severe storms in New Jersey have resulted in "fatalities," Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed in a statement on social media.
"I have been briefed on the severe thunderstorm and heavy winds that hit Central Jersey this evening and resulted in fatalities. The towns of Plainfield, North Plainfield, Bound Brook, and Dunellen sustained damage, among others," Murphy wrote on X.
The governor did not elaborate on the nature of the fatalities, but local officials confirmed two people died in Plainfield, with one additional death in North Plainfield.
The two cities are home to around a combined 76,000 people.
The North Plainfield Police Department confirmed a woman was killed after pulling over to the side of the road to avoid the extreme weather.
"As the motorist was pulled over and stopped, a large tree and a large portion of the sidewalk uprooted and fell across Greenbrook Road, landing on top of the vehicle, damaging a second vehicle and several area homes," the department said in a statement on Facebook.
The City of Plainfield confirmed the deaths of two men, ages 25 and 79 who were also killed when a falling tree struck the vehicle they were in.
The city declared a state of emergency and canceled its July 4 celebration plans, as officials there continue to deal with more than 80 downed trees, many affecting power lines.
Over 16,000 customers remained without power in New Jersey Friday afternoon, according to the website poweroutage.us, with the bulk of those occurring in the northeast part of the state.
Rail service has been interrupted in parts of the state affected by the storm, that saw around 45,000 customers lose power at the height of the weather.
