15-year-old Teen Struck By Lightning in Central Park
Lightning struck a teen in Central Park as severe weather conditions hit the city on June 19. The teen survived and was alert as he was rushed by EMS to a local hospital.
| 20 Jun 2025 | 04:51
New York City and its surrounding areas faced severe weather incidents on June 19. Around 3:45pm a 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning in Central Park and survived. (
)
A 15-year-old high school sophomore was struck by lightning in Central Park on the afternoon of June 19 as severe thunderstorms hit the city.
EMS responded to a call at Fifth Avenue near the park bathrooms at East 96th Street around 3:45pm and rushed the victim, identified as Yassin Khalifa, to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He was alert and conscious, officials said.
The teen was standing under a tree when lightning struck it, rendering him unconscious for several minutes. He had revived by the time EMS arrived.
“I leaned up against a tree, and I told them, ‘Oh, guys, let’s ride out the storm,’ which in hindsight might not have been the best idea,” Khalifa said in an interview from his hospital bed with ABC7 Eyewitness News.
Despite his injuries—which include second-degree burns on his neck and leg—Khalifa is expected to make a full recovery.
“Apparently, I’m pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened. So I’m, like, not losing any sort of motor function. So I’m pretty happy about that,” Khalifa said.
At 4pm, the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning across many Manhattan and NYC neighborhoods. It warned it would last over an hour before subsiding around 5:15pm. The conditions were labeled hazardous, with a Marine Warning in effect from 4:40 until 5:30.
The thunderstorms continued sporadically around the city until the evening, the Weather Service noted. The wind and rain resulted in over 100 trees toppling across the five boroughs.
The weather system was expected to give way to scorching heat with temperatures potentially reaching 100 degrees in the June 23-24 period.
In extreme weather events, the National Weather Service urges individuals to seek immediate shelter and remain there for at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. Should no suitable indoor location be found, NWS encourages staying away from bodies of water or objects that conduct electricity.
“Apparently, I’m pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened.” — lightning victim Yassin Khalifa