Storm cleanup continues in South Jersey as downed trees and power outages linger

WOODBURY HEIGHTS, N.J. (WPVI) -- Roads remained closed in parts of Burlington and Gloucester counties as crews and residents spent the day cleaning up damage left by strong winds and rain that moved through the area overnight.

Downed trees, debris piles and fallen power lines blocked some roads as crews worked across multiple communities, including Woodbury Heights, Willingboro and Mount Laurel.

In Woodbury Heights, crews carefully removed trees from yards and homes along Wilson Avenue on Tuesday. One large tree crashed onto Ryan Keane's house during the height of the storm, landing on top of his son's bedroom.

"About 11:20 p.m., the wind just started picking up like crazy. We heard a loud thump on the roof, and it landed right on top of my son's bedroom," Keane said.

No one was hurt, but the family spent the rest of the night elsewhere. Nearby, other families surveyed the damage and began cleanup efforts.

"It was scary for a second, right buddy?" Jojo Jonasz said to her son

Her family also woke to damage in their backyard.

"Our cabana went through our pool cover. Harpooned right through it, and our fence fell down too," Jonasz said.

Elsewhere in Woodbury Heights, part of a roof was left dangling at the Goodwill store and donation center.

In Willingboro, trees were uprooted, and a trampoline was found tangled high in a tree.

In Mount Laurel, residents reported power-related incidents around midnight along Church Street, where transformers popped and caught fire. Amy Searles watched the scene from her backyard.

"Huge explosion. There was colors everywhere and loud noises. I actually grabbed the boys and said, 'Let's get into the basement because I thought there was a tornado,'" Searles said.

By daylight, crews were working along Church Street to make repairs and restore power. Searles said she received updates from the utility company but noted the estimated restoration time had changed.

"It was 9:30 p.m., but now it's midnight," she said.

As cleanup continued, residents and crews worked through lingering damage from the overnight storm, with some roads and neighborhoods still impacted.