Woman Killed By Falling Tree In Somerset County Storm ID'd By Police

NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — A Middlesex Borough woman who was killed when a tree fell on her vehicle when she pulled over during the intense storm on Thursday, has been identified.

North Plainfield Police identified the woman on Monday as Diana Ospina, 44, of Middlesex.

Ospina was driving east on Greenbrook Road in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee about 6 p.m. when the thunderstorms that passed through the area intensified, Police Chief Alan McKay said Friday.

The woman, who was alone, pulled over along the 700 block about 6:30 p.m. As she waited for the storm to ease, a large tree uprooted, lifting the sidewalk with it, and fell across Greenbrook Road, landing on the woman's vehicle and damaging a second vehicle and several homes, McKay said.

The tree also brought down live electrical wires that combined with the unstable tree made rescuing the woman even more difficult for North Plainfield police and firefighters, he said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene from the injuries she sustained in the accident, McKay said.

Police remained at the scene through the night waiting for Public Service Electric & Gas crews to turn off the electricity to the power lines. A local tree service and crane were called to remove the tree from the Jeep, he said.

The Northern Regional Medical Examiner's Office removed the woman's body from her vehicle and an autopsy will be performed at a later date to determine the cause of death, the chief said.

Anyone with information relating to the accident is asked to call the North Plainfield Police Department Traffic Safety Division at 908-769-2931.

Additionally, two people were killed in Plainfield when a tree fell on their vehicle, officials said Friday morning.

The men, ages 79 and 25, were pronounced dead at the scene just before 7 p.m. from their injuries. Their names and hometowns were not released.

The National Weather Service said the based on photos and dopler radar imagery, the damage that occurred during the storm is consistent with straight-line winds and downbursts.

Wind speeds were estimated to range from 65 to 80 mph.

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