Wind blows tree onto Halloween party tent in Middletown, NJ

MIDDLETOWN — Wind could add to the atmosphere of a Halloween party but it turned the festivities dangerous on Friday night.

Middletown police said gusty winds blew a tree onto a tent set up in the backyard of a house surrounded by woods on Cooper Road in the Navesink section around 8:25 p.m.

A storm brought wind gusts of over 40 mph along Jersey Shore on Friday night, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow. Several inches of rain from two storms also left the ground saturated. Between 50 and 60 people were under the tent at the time.

Four people suffered minor injuries and three people were hospitalized. One person refused medical treatment.

"We don't call winds "damaging" until they reach about 60 mph. But 40 mph is the threshold for serious wind, which can down trees and power poles. That's when it's time to seek shelter in a sturdy building. Not a tent," Zarrow said.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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