The roof of a wholesale store in Ocean Township, New Jersey, collapsed on Monday, trapping two shoppers inside.
There were 27 people inside the BJ’s Wholesale Club when a large section of the roof suddenly collapsed due to a heavy rain storm in the area, according to News 12 New Jersey. Two people were briefly trapped before safely exiting the building, according to NBC. The security footage shows people running for safety as part of the roof collapsed and water started pouring in.
First responders, including officers with the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Ocean Township police, arrived at the store around 11:16 a.m, Syracuse.com reported.
“We did evacuate everyone out of the building. There were reports of two individuals trapped. They did escape the building,” said Chief Michael Sorrentino.
Witness Ken Kalada was shopping for laundry detergent and first took a video of a large leak in the ceiling, according to NBC. He said a few seconds later the roof collapsed, and he was standing only 20 feet away.
“I mean it was a thunderous boom. It made my ears ring,” Kalada said. “There was a girder nearby and I just leaned into that. There was a lot of yelling a lot screaming.”
He also said his instinct was to try to get out as quickly as he could because he feared more of the roof would collapse.
A structural engineer will need to fully inspect the building and decide if it can be repaired or torn down. The Monmouth sheriff said 20% of the roof is now gone, but there were no injuries reported.
“We commend all first responders who worked with urgency under challenging circumstances,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “Despite the ongoing flooding and severe weather affecting our communities, all worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone was safely accounted for. Their dedication and teamwork exemplify the very best of public safety.”
On Monday afternoon, there were more than 60 million people that received flood watches across the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.
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