A 36-year-old golfer was hospitalized Sunday evening after being struck by lightning at Pinch Brook Golf Course in Florham Park.
Police said the strike occurred just after 6 p.m. during a line of thunderstorms. The man went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. Several bystanders, including a retired Morris County sheriff’s captain, began performing CPR before first responders arrived.
The golfer was first taken to a nearby hospital, then transferred to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. As of Monday, his condition remained unclear.
Florham Park police credited the quick response of bystanders for keeping the man alive.
The incident marks the second lightning strike on a NJ golf course this summer. In July, 28-year-old Simon Mariani of Franklin Lakes was killed after being struck at Ballyowen Golf Club in Sussex County. Days later, 61-year-old Robert Montgomery of Cinnaminson died when lightning hit an archery range in Jackson Township, injuring more than a dozen children.
Lightning deaths are rare. Federal data show fewer than 20 fatalities nationwide each year. Outdoor activities near open fields and water remain among the most common places for lightning strikes to occur.
New Jersey has recorded 18 lightning-related deaths in the past two decades.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.