Police cameras caught the terrifying moment that an electric cable wire caught after touching wet ground following a thunderstorm, nearly killing an utility worker.

A severe thunderstorm caused transformers to explode and electric wires to fall in the northeastern coast last week. In the intersection of State Highway 70 and Colonial Drive in New Jersey, Manchester police officers and utility workers responded to a report of a traffic light spot being out due to a power outage.

In the early morning, a utility worker tending to the defected traffic spot nearly died.

“As the night turned into morning, a utility worker narrowly escaped death when handling a wire that was believed to be de-energized!” the Manchester Police Department said in a Facebook post. “The wire then caught fire as it struck the wet ground. Luckily, he was wearing proper safety equipment!”

You can watch the video below: