2 teens killed by lightning were found below splintered tree

AP logo
Friday, June 14, 2019
Lightning strike kills 2 people in Pennsylvania
Lightning strike kills 2 people in Pennsylvania. Watch the report from Action News Mornings on June 14, 2019.

KECKSBURG, Pa. -- Authorities say two teenagers killed by lightning in a park in Pennsylvania were found below a large splintered tree.

Westmoreland County's coroner says 18-year-old Brendan McGowan, of North Huntingdon, and 19-year-old Kaitlyn Rosensteel, of Donoroa, died Thursday afternoon at Mammoth Park near Kecksburg.

Coroner Kenneth Bacha says bystanders started CPR, followed by park police, but they were unable to revive the victims.

Strong thunderstorms had moved through the area around the time, bringing a cluster of lightning strikes to the area around the park. The strike occurred on a peninsula that juts out into a 24-acre lake.

Mammoth Park is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh.