A 61-year-old man at a Cub Scout archery event became the second Garden State resident to die from a lightning strike in three days.
Jackson Township police said Robert Montgomery, of Cinnaminson, was killed Wednesday after being struck down at the Black Knights Bow Benders Archery Range, according to NJ.com.
At least 13 other victims as young as 7 years old, reported various injuries ranging from burns to “complaints of not feeling well” after being shocked shortly after 7 p.m.
One victim was taken to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for treatment of a severe burn, police said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy asked for prayers for all involved in Wednesday night’s tragedy.
Montgomery’s death comes two days after the family of Simon Mariani said the 28-year-old golfer, who was hit by lightning during a competition at Hamburg’s Ballyowen Golf Course last week, had died from his injuries on Monday.
The deadly strikes occurred roughly 100 miles apart.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says an average of 20 people in the U.S are killed by lightning each year. Montgomery’s was the 12th such death recorded in 2025.
A third of the Americans killed by lightning this year were struck while fishing. The National Lightning Safety Council (NLSC) rates that activity at the top of its Deadly Dozen list of ways to die from a lightning strike.
Mariani was the second golfer fatally hit by lightning in 2025, according to NOAA. The NLSC lists Golfing at the bottom of its Deadly Dozen.
