Overview
- Video captured on Aug. 27 shows Thomas Fahmy collapsing on a Staten Island sidewalk after a bright flash that witnesses and footage identify as a direct lightning strike.
- Neighbor Stefanie Homan brought Fahmy inside and called 911, and dispatchers told her to limit interventions such as giving food or water while waiting for EMS.
- Fahmy was taken to Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, where clinicians observed him for about 12 hours, ran blood tests, and discharged him with no visible burns or reported internal injuries.
- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis formally awarded Homan a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for her help, noting Fahmy works in her office and returned to work within about a week.
- The National Weather Service’s reminder that the annual odds of being struck are under one in a million framed coverage of the episode as rare but a prompt for clear lightning-safety advice.