A teenager from Arizona has made a miraculous recovery after being struck by a bolt of lightning which stopped his heart.

Josiah Wiedman, 13, was walking home in the rain when he said he "felt this burst of heat, then everything went dark".

The lightning strike knocked the boy to the ground where he hit his head and was left unconscious.

A neighbour performed CPR until paramedics arrived to take him to Phoenix Children's Hospital where he arrived in a critical condition.

While the lightning did stop Josiah's heart, the electricity was not strong enough to damage his organs.


'A burst of heat, then everything went dark'

"Dang, I survived it," Josiah told Fox News. "I was dead for, like, 15 minutes. Dang. I beat death."

Josiah's mother said he was carrying his skateboard at the time and believes it may have taken the main force of the strike.

The teenager sustained some injuries to his leg but otherwise has suffered no long-term damage.

Dr Craig Egan from the hospital said he had never seen a patient recover so quickly after being struck by lightning.

"I feel like I'm Superman right now," said Josiah.