A 15-year-old boy was recovering Friday after being struck by lightning in Central Park during a powerful thunderstorm, police said.
The boy was in the park around 3:45 p.m. Thursday near East Drive and East 100th Street when witnesses said he was struck, according to NYPD officials.
He sustained injuries to his neck, and was transported by emergency medical workers to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in stable condition.
Scattered thunderstorms and high wind gusts swept the New York City area Thursday, with the National Weather Service issuing a severe thunderstorm watch for most of the afternoon and evening. City officials reported several isolated power outages throughout the night.
An NYPD spokesperson said Friday no weather-related fatalities or major damage was reported to police.
Lightning strikes are extremely rare, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the United States annually, but the chances of a person being struck are less than one in a million.
About 90% of people struck by lightning survive, the CDC said. The record for one person being struck multiple times is seven in a lifetime.
