CBS 2 News This Morning

NEW YORK (CBS) ― The spring-like energy felt across the Tri-state on Wednesday has been replaced by the threat being posed by violent winds on Thursday. 

The strong gusts created dangerous and even deadly conditions across the region, with scattered reports of fallen trees, blowing debris, collapsed construction walls, and downed power lines. Three deaths were believed to be the result of damage from the dangerous winds, including two women in New Jersey who were struck by falling trees limbs in completely separate incidents.

The first occurred in Mountainside just after 6 a.m. when a tree fell on a car on Route 22 near Robin Hood Lane. According to witnesses, 61-year-old Maureen Carse was driving along Route 22 when the tree slammed down onto the road, crushing the front of the car and killing her instantly.

"Because of branches and what not, the winds actually impaled the poor woman. We actually had to remove the vehicle with the body in the vehicle, we couldn't get her out first," said Mountainside Police Chief James Debbie.

The loss and randomness of the tragedy has left her co-workers in shock and her husband speechless. He told CBS 2 that his wife was "the best person you'd ever want to meet," and her friends agreed.

"Maureen was a terrific person, a good friend of mine, and we're all going to miss her," a friend of hers said.

Carse leaves behind her husband, two daughters, and five grandchildren.

The other fatal incident happened in Newark just before 1:30 p.m. Police say an unidentified Hispanic woman was walking from a supermarket at Mt. Prospect and 2nd Avenues when she was struck in the head by a falling tree limb, killing her instantly too.

"It could have been me, it could have been you, it could have been anybody," said Newark resident Phyliss Gesumaria.

Meanwhile in Staten Island, the wind apparently knocked down a wall at a building under construction in Rosebank, killing a construction worker.

Police said it was just after 8 o'clock Thursday morning when the male worker was discovered unconscious and unresponsive underneath the rubble at a construction site on Bay Street. Neighbors say the man was working on the second story when a 20-foot-high cinderblock wall came crashing down on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"I heard a big bang, like a bomb, the whole wall collapsed. The wind is very strong and the wall fell down," said neighbor Miguel Collazo.

Another worker was taken to the hospital with injuries. Officials from the city's Buildings Department were called to the scene to investigate.

In Brooklyn, police had to rescue a male after a tree fell on him on Avenue H in Flatbush.

The man was rushed to Kings County Hospital with unknown injuries. It was one of many trees reported to have fallen as strong winds started moving through the area.

Power outages were also plaguing the region.

The Long Island Power Authority was reporting 5,300 customers without power, while Con Ed said they had a little more than 2,000 outages. Central Power & Light Company reported 21,000 scattered outages around the state, while PSE&G counted nearly 8,000 customers without power.

CBS 2 HD Meteorologist John Elliot is calling for sustained winds between 20-30 mph, with gusts reaching as much as 55 mph.

"After a potentially wet morning, the day will be characterized by the potentially violent winds, which will affect the area for the entire day," Elliot said. "You have to be totally aware of your surroundings today."

Trees aren't the only cause of concern across the area. Reports of debris and scaffolding crashing to the earth are also coming in.

One call came in from 223 West 49th Street in Manhattan. Bricks rained down onto the levels below, and surprisingly no one was hurt. It was a similar scene in Union Square where a building going up on W. 14th Street was damaged by the winds, causing debris to come crashing through a nearby roof.

Windows were blown out of a building on 40th Street in Murray Hill, causing glass to rain down on the street. Fortunately there were no reported injuries.

The winds made for some miserable air travel conditions, creating delays for all three major airports.

Through the evening commute, flights destined for Newark Liberty International Airport saw delays averaging more than five hours, while flights headed for La Guardia Airport were delayed by an average of a little more than three hours. Air traffic headed to John F. Kennedy Airport was experiencing delays of about two hours.

The winds complicated the morning commute for a lot of people on the Long Island Rail Road.

Just before 9 a.m., the Oyster Bay branch was suspended when a train slammed into a utility pole leaning over the tracks. Residual delays of 30 to 45 minutes continued through the afternoon.

The accident happened just east of the Albertson station. Four people were hurt and taken away on stretchers.

Traffic has also been significantly impacted. The Throgs Neck Bridge was closed in both directions at noon on Thursday when a tractor-trailer jack-knifed in the high winds, blocking both lanes. An overturned trailer also shut down the Bayonne Bridge in both directions around noon as well.

As for train delays, the New Haven Line service was temporarily suspended between Grand Central Terminal and Stamford due to wire damage from a pedestrian bridge that broke apart at New Rochelle.

The pedestrian overpass was rebuilt just a few months ago, and now workers must return for repairs after the wicked wind peeled back the sheet metal roof, leaving a 20-foot strip dangling down onto the electrified catenary wires that powered trains on the New Haven line.

"It came down and hit the wire, but the personnel immediately de-energized all the power in the station until they assessed the metal that was fallen," said MTA Police Capt. John See.

There was a city-bound train in the New Rochelle station when it happened. Everyone was safely evacuated, but three of four tracks were shut down and train service was severely disrupted.

Traveling somewhere? You can monitor all traffic and transit delays in CBS 2's Planes, Trains & Automobiles Guide. 

Please stay tuned to CBS 2 HD and WCBSTV.com for the latest in this developing story.

 

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