UPPER ST. CLAIR, Pa. — A Pittsburgh area man died after a tree fell onto several cars and a Sunoco in Upper St. Clair Tuesday evening.
PHOTOS: Heavy rain, thunderstorms move through Pittsburgh area Tuesday afternoon
“You can see where everything was so calm, there was no rain, there was nothing and then basically all hell broke loose,” said Roxanne Gumpf, Sunoco Manager.
Surveillance footage from the Sunoco captures the horrifying moment a massive tree crashed down onto a line of cars.
A light flashes and multiple sparks fly from the power lines.
WATCH the shocking surveillance video below:
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Without hesitation, gas station employees ran outside to help.
“Everybody was running, basically to try to help whatever they can do. The man was trapped in the car and the wife was screaming for her husband,” said Gumpf.
The man who died hours after this incident has been identified as Stephen Stasenko Jr.
The 64-year-old father of two was a long term Pittsburgh Post Gazette employee who was preparing to retire.
Upper St. Clair Police say Stasenko was in the turning lane as storms moved through the area.
He passed away around midnight from his injuries.
His wife who was a passenger in the car was not hurt.
Neither were any of the six people in the car behind them.
“The owner brought the wife in, she was soaking wet, she was screaming. He was just trying to keep her calm,” said Gumpf.
An Upper St. Clair mom who was in that line of traffic with her 17-month-old son said her instinct was to get out of there as fast as possible.
“I thought of my son first, umm and getting him kinda like out of harm’s way of another tree potentially falling,” said Allison.
Tonight, the community is mourning Stasenko and thinking of his loved ones as they try to process this tragedy.
“I can’t imagine what she’s going through and I am so sorry for the loss of her husband,” said Gumpf.
McMurray at Bethel Church Roads remain closed to all thru traffic.
Avoid the area while crews continue repair efforts.
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