14 hours ago
Teen hit by lightning in Central Park says he couldn't move, talk after strike
Teen struck by lightning in Central Park speaks out
Teen struck by lightning in Central Park speaks out
Teen struck by lightning in Central Park speaks out
A teenager who was struck by lightning in Central Park is recounting the terrifying and rare strike.
He spoke exclusively to CBS News New York's Ali Bauman.
"I'm just kind of locked in my body for a second"
Yassin Khalifa can't remember the moment he was struck by lightning, but he can still feel the pain.
"No one actually thinks that they're gonna get hit by lightning," he said.
The 15-year-old was picnicking in Central Park with friends Thursday afternoon when a fast-moving storm rolled in.
"So I suggest to my friends we should go hang by a tree for a second, and I lean up against the tree. Five seconds later, I am on the floor," he said.
A teen boy was struck by lightning in Central Park on June 19, 2025.
CBS News New York
The lightning knocked him unconscious.
"I can see, but I can't talk. I can't move. So I'm just kind of locked in my body for a second until I get into the ambulance and I feel everyone trying to shake me," Yassin said.
He was hospitalized with second-degree burns covering his torso and legs.
Yassin's sister, Reem Khalifa, and his mother, Khalida Khalifa, rushed to his side.
"He was in pretty bad shape at first and in a lot of pain," Reem said.
"I was so scared to lose him because it was looking very, very bad," Khalida Khalifa said.
"We never learned about lightning"
Standing underneath a tree is the second leading cause of lightning strike deaths, according to the National Weather Service. But the Khalifa siblings say as city kids, they had no idea.
"We learned about fire drills. We learned about lockdown drills. We know how to escape an active shooter in our schools, shelter in place. We never learned about lightning," Reem said.
The odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million.
Siblings Reem Khalifa (left) and Yassin Khalifa (right)
Photo provided
Reem says Yassin's survival brings a new appreciation for her younger brother.
"We were beefing about, like, $10 this week, and that's why I've been annoyed at him, but that's something so simple. It means nothing in hindsight of everything," she said.
But even lightning can't strike down the brother-sister dynamic.
"I'm kind of mad, though, because his curls stayed intact and mine don't, and I haven't been electrocuted," Reem said.
The family hopes Yassin can leave the hospital this weekend.
