The 15-year-old boy hit by lightning as he leaned up against a tree in Central Park during a massive storm that hit the city Thursday afternoon is on the mend, reflecting on how lucky he was to survive.
Yassin Khalifa was having a picnic with friends in the iconic park on the park’s East Drive near E. 100th St. at about 3:45 p.m. when the violent storm rolled through the city.
“I leaned up against a tree, and I told them, ‘Oh, guys, let’s ride out the storm,’ which in hindsight might not have been the best idea,” Khalifa told ABC Eyewitness News.
A bolt of lightning hit the tree, knocking him unconscious, officials said. Electricity traveled through the tree and jumped to the metal chain around his neck, sparing him from any serious injury.
“Apparently, I’m pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened,” the teen said. “So I’m like, not losing any sort of motor function. So I’m pretty happy about that.”
Khalifa only suffered minor injuries, and a burn on his neck where he wore his necklace, police said. He had regained consciousness by the time first responders arrived.
“We found him sitting on the path right there,” a police officer told a Daily News reporter Thursday. “He’s lucky to be alive.”
EMS transported Khalifa to Weill Cornell Medical Center for treatment.
The odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than one in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Almost 90% of lightning strike victims survive, according to the CDC.
