15-year-old boy survives lightning strike in NYC's Central Park

Severe thunderstorms swept through parts of the Northeast on Thursday afternoon, prompting warnings due to potentially dangerous conditions.

The threat turned serious when a person was reportedly struck by lightning around 3:40 p.m., according to fire officials. The incident occurred on a city street in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

According to preliminary information from the NYPD, the person struck was a teenager who was apparently standing under a tree inside Central Park.

At this moment, it is believed that lightning struck a tree and the teen.

The teen was taken to Cornell Medical Center, where he is apparently conscious.

LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

There are important tips to keep in mind when it comes to thunderstorms, according to the NWS, that will help keep you safe. For example:

• Remember that NO PLACE outside is safe when there are thunderstorms;
• If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you;
• When you hear thunder, immediately move to a safe shelter like a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with its windows up;
• Stay in a safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you last hear thunder;
• When indoors, stay off corded phones, computers and any other electrical device that puts you in direct contact with electricity;
• Avoid anything with plumbing, like sinks, baths and faucets, given that electricity can easily travel through metal/water;
• Stay away from windows and doors, and off porches;
• Do not lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls.

The NWS also shares tips in case you are caught outside without safe shelter nearby to help reduce your risk of potentially getting hurt by lightning:

• Get off areas that are elevated (hills, mountain ridges or peaks) IMMEDIATELY;
• Do not lie flat on the ground;
• Never take shelter under an isolated tree;
• Never seek shelter in a cliff or rocky overhang;
• Get out and away from bodies of water IMMEDIATELY;
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (like wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)