Northport Man Thrown 20 Feet After Being Struck by Lightning

NORTHPORT, NY – A 29-year-old man was thrown about 20 feet after being struck by lightning outside his Northport home Sunday night.

Jonathan Borriello went outside his Ocean Avenue home at 10:48 p.m. to get a better view of a thunderstorm when he realized an American flag was still being displayed, according to Northport Police.

After Borriello took the flag down and placed it on the porch, a tree about 11 feet away was struck by lightning. The bolt ricocheted and struck him on the left shoulder and arm.

"Afterwards my whole body was on fire and I literally lost control completely of my whole body," Borriello told ABC 7.

Borriello suffered burn marks to his hands and complained of tingling in his legs after Northport Police and the Northport Fire Department arrived on the scene. He was treated and released from Huntington Hospital.

"First thing I thought was, ‘He should play the lotto,’ ” Northport Police Chief Bill Ricca told the New York Post of Borriello.

And that's exactly what he did. Borriello bought two lottery tickets after being released from the hospital, according to the ABC report.