FANWOOD -- A 26-year-old Plainfield woman was electrocuted after downed wires fell on her car and she attempted to exit the vehicle, police confirmed.

Fanwood Police Chief Richard Trigo said the wires fell on the car, a white sedan, causing sparks, around 4:30 p.m. on the 100 block of Midway Avenue.

The woman then attempted to exit the car from the passenger side when she was electrocuted by the live current, Trigo said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Patrol officers arriving on the scene saw sparks coming from the car, Trigo said.

Bob Pacio, who lives across the street, said he came outside after hearing a loud pop.

"Then I saw flames shooting out from the car," Pacio said. "Police were here but couldn't get in because the wires were live."

Pacio said he saw the car's passenger side door open, but didn't see anything else at first and said he thought the woman was still in the car.

Police have not released the woman's identity as her next of kin have not yet been notified.

The tragedy in Fanwood occurred as a line of strong thunderstorms swept across New Jersey, packing wind gusts as high as 68 miles per hour, toppling trees and knocking out power to more than 22,000 homes and businesses.

Among the places that lost power was the Bridgewater Commons mall, a shopper reported.

The 68 mph wind gust was reported at Linden Airport, the National Weather Service said. Among the other strong gusts across the state were 65 mph at Newark Liberty International Airport, 53 mph in Fortescue in Cumberland County, 53 mph in Newport in Cumberland, 49 mph in Atlantic City, 47 mph in Howell in Monmouth County and 47 mph in Blackwood in Camden County.

For the second time in five days, a barn was badly damaged by strong winds in Warren County during the thunderstorms. Last Thursday, a low-level tornado caused widespread damage on a farm in White Township.

Staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report.



Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.