Cherry Hill teen critical after lightning strike

A Cherry Hill teenager was hospitalized in critical but stable condition yesterday after being struck by lightning a day earlier.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, as thunderstorms moved through the area, a resident in the 300 block of Monroe Avenue heard the loud boom of a lightning strike and looked out the window to see a boy on the ground with his shirt on fire, according to Lt. Bill Kushina of Cherry Hill police. The resident called 911, ran outside, and used his own shirt to put out the flames, Kushina said.

When rescue personnel arrived, Zachary Yizzi, 14, had no pulse. He was revived and taken to Cooper University Hospital, then transferred to the burn center at Temple University Hospital. - Peter Mucha