A peaceful day in NJ turns to terror as freak lightning strike burns scouts, kills instructor

⚡14 people were affected by lightning that struck a tree at a Jackson archery range

⚡An instructor was killed by the lightning strike

JACKSON — Cub Scouts at an Ocean County archery range went from collecting awards to living a nightmare after a "bolt out of the blue" killed a club instructor and injured 13 others on Wednesday afternoon.

Among the injured were eight Cub Scouts with Pack 204 after the surprise strike at 7:10 p.m at the Black Knight Bowbenders archery club on Perrineville Road.

The strike out of what appeared to be a safe sky, scorched a tree, knocked the shoes off a child, singed the eyebrows off one victim and seriously burned a scout.

Mayor Mike Reina told New Jersey 101.5 that one of the scouts was flown to The Burn Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

Robert Montgomery, 61, of Cinnaminson, an instructor with the club, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police Chief Matthew Kunz.

Range spokesman Gene Grodzki told New Jersey 101.5 there was no evidence of storms nearby at the time of the lightning strike. He said five club instructors who had been working with the scouts were wrapping up their lessons and preparing to hand out some awards. Grodzki said he had left to get a trophy out of his car.

"The ground was dry. It was not raining. There was no thunder, there was no rain, there was nothing, nothing," Grodzki said.

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Shoes knocked off, eyebrows burned off

Suddenly, "insanely loud" lightning hit the base of a tree, blasting splinters and debris all around.

When Grodzki returned with the trophy, he saw seven people lying on the ground.

"We immediately ran and got the defibrillator that we have at the range. We administered CPR, did everything we could, obviously called 911. Two of the kids ... one had his shoes knocked off. The other one was had some burns," Grodzki said.

Grodzki said that everyone at the 65-year-old organization is "devastated and traumatized" by Robert Montgomery's death.

"It's a very close-knit club. Robert was a fantastic member who would always show up whenever there was a need, especially when it was working with Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or 4H or giving archery lessons or anything else that we needed to do at the club."

"He had his eyebrows and eyelashes burnt off. The hair on his chest was burned off. He had debris in his eyes. When the lightning hit the tree, it blew all the earth out from around the roots, and the dirt was flying everywhere," Grodzki said. "This is the finger of God that came down and it decided to hit the tree and take a life. Don't start putting blame on anybody for a tragedy."

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Any warning before strike?

Scout safety rules say those caught outdoors to find a secure location if a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued.

A warning was not issued until 7:30 p.m., long after the strike.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said radar showed thunderstorm cells about 1 and 6 miles west and north of the archery club, which would be more than close enough for lightning bolts to travel and strike the ground.

Nearby Six Flags Great Adventure temporarily closed their high elevation rides around 7 p.m. and all rides at 7:30 p.m., according to a spokesman.

Scouting America regulations allow Cub Scout packs to participate in archery, BB gun shooting, and slingshot in certain situations, according to the Scouting America website.

Scouts and their parents have come to the range for years. The parents traditionally contact the range and set up a date to visit, according to Grodzki.

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