Two people lost their lives in Plainfield, New Jersey, after their vehicle was carried away by floodwaters during a powerful storm that swept through the U.S. Northeast overnight, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Governor Phil Murphy, speaking in Berkeley Heights after assessing damage in the region, noted that these latest fatalities bring additional tragedy to a community that had already seen two storm-related deaths on July 3, including a third victim in neighboring North Plainfield.
“We’re not unique, but we’re in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now,” Murphy said, urging residents to stay alert as the region endures wave after wave of extreme weather.
Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the two victims. Local officials reported that the car they were traveling in was swept into a brook during the peak of the storm. “Emergency personnel responded quickly, but tragically, both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene,” read a statement released by the city.
Chaos in Subways and Streets as Rain Overwhelms Infrastructure
The storm also caused significant disruption in New York and south-central Pennsylvania. Torrential downpours led to flash flooding that shut down roads and paralyzed parts of the New York City subway system. Viral videos circulating online showed dramatic scenes inside Manhattan stations where floodwaters gushed onto platforms. In one clip, passengers could be seen standing on train seats to escape rising water.
Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), explained the root of the flooding: the city’s sewer system became overwhelmed by rainfall, which backed up into subway tunnels and stations. In some areas, the pressure from the water even blew open manholes, producing powerful geysers.
“What happened last night is something that is, you know, a reality in our system,” Lieber told ABC 7. He noted the problem occurs when rainfall exceeds 1.75 inches in an hour — a threshold that was surpassed during the storm. Although transit service has since resumed, including the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North commuter lines, the incident underscored vulnerabilities that have persisted for decades.
Despite billions of dollars spent to waterproof the subway system following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, flooding remains a chronic threat. Some improvements — such as storm barriers, sealed vents, and raised curbs — have been implemented, but intense storms, including the 2021 remnants of Hurricane Ida, continue to test the system. That event alone killed more than a dozen New Yorkers, many in basement apartments, and once again filled the subways with water.
