Teen Struck by Lightning in Central Park is Miraculously Saved by His Necklace

A 15-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after a terrifying lightning strike in Central Park left him unconscious but breathing—thanks, in part, to his chain necklace.

It happened just after 4 p.m. Thursday, as a group of teenagers tried to find cover from a sudden storm that swept across Manhattan. Witnesses say the boy, whose name has not been released, was standing under a towering elm near East 100th Street, leaning against the trunk while thunder boomed overhead.

Then came the flash.

“I saw a bright light and heard the loudest noise,” recalled Crystal Mateo, 17, who was nearby. “Suddenly, he was on the ground. His friends were screaming for help. It was chaos. I thought he was dead.”

As it turns out, the teen’s metal chain necklace may have made all the difference. According to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, lightning struck the tree, then surged through the boy’s necklace—burning his neck but ultimately sparing his life.

First responders arrived within minutes. The boy was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where doctors treated him for minor burns and kept him under observation. By evening, he was in stable condition—shaken, but alive.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” said an NYPD officer at the scene.

A Rare Survival Story

While lightning kills an average of 27 people in the U.S. each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly 90% of those struck survive. But the experience can leave lasting scars—both physical and emotional.

Thursday’s freak accident was a stark reminder of how quickly weather can turn deadly. The powerful storm brought heavy rain, gusty winds, and even delayed flights at all three major New York airports.

After the strike, police roped off the area with yellow tape. Cookie wrappers, water bottles, and a volleyball—evidence of a picnic cut short—were left abandoned under the dripping elm. Within an hour, the storm moved on, and the park was full of joggers, dog walkers, and stunned witnesses sharing the story.

“This could have been a tragedy,” Mateo said. “We’ll never look at storms the same way again.”

Lightning Safety: What You Need to Know

Experts urge everyone to take severe weather seriously—especially in open spaces like parks. “Never stand under a tree during a thunderstorm,” warned a New York firefighter. “And if you hear thunder, get indoors immediately.”

The boy’s ordeal serves as a powerful lesson—and a rare story of survival—amid nature’s fury in the heart of New York City.