A golfer was struck by lightning at a popular New Jersey golf course Sunday — just weeks after another player was killed in eerily similar circumstances.
The 36-year-old man, who hasn’t been publicly identified, went into cardiac arrest after he was hit between the 2nd and 16th holes at the Pinch Brook Golf Course in Florham Park just after 6 p.m.
Witnesses, including a retired Morris County sheriff’s captain, immediately started CPR after seeing him “lose consciousness and stop breathing,” police said.
Lightning struck a golfer in New Jersey. Solid photos – stock.adobe.com
A golfer was struck by lighting at the Pinch Brook Golf Course in Florham Park, New Jersey. Google MapsThe victim was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition before being transferred to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for further treatment.
“We commend the quick response and immediate life-saving efforts by not only trained medical personnel in the right place at the right time, but also civilians just wanting to help save the life of a stranger,” Florham Park police spokesperson Brian Ford said.
The victim’s exact condition as of early Monday wasn’t immediately known.
The golfer was struck at Pinch Brook Golf Course on Sunday, August 17, 2025. Google MapsHe is the second golfer to be struck in the Garden State this summer.
Simon John Mariani, 28, was struck at the Ballyowen Golf Course in Hardyston on July 8 as severe storms rolled through the area.
A day after Mariani died, lightning struck a tree at the Black Knight Bowbenders Archery Club in Jackson Township, killing instructor Robert Montgomery, 61.
A golfer was struck by lightning while playing at Pinch Brook Golf Course. Google MapsFourteen other people, including four children, were also injured.
Local reports noted that one of the injured boys was literally knocked out his shoes and socks, which were destroyed by the bolt.
That same week, a deliveryman was nearly hit by lightning while dropping off food at a house in Wayne.
The home’s security camera captured the moment the bolt strikes the yard just a few feet away from the unsuspecting worker, who could only chuckle at the shocking close call.
Despite the seemingly sudden uptick in lightning strikes around the tri-state area, the odds of being struck by lightning are still less than 1 in a million in a given year, according to the National Weather Service.
And even then, the odds of dying are low as on average, only about 27 people die from lightning strikes annually, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since 2006, 444 people have been killed by lightning strikes in the US, with 2016 serving as the deadliest year with 40 reported cases.
