Crime & Safety

Fallen Tree Crushes Man, 71, In North Jersey, Police Say

An investigation into the man's death is underway.

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — A man is dead after a tree fell on top of him in Sussex County, according to police.

Police were called to a home on Central School Road in Wantage on Wednesday around 2:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a tree falling on someone, officials said.

Authorities arrived to find that a large tree had fallen on Thomas Speed, 71, of Wantage, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene, they added.

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An investigation is underway into Speed's death, and it's not clear what caused the tree to fall, according to officials.

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