BJ's roof collapses as New Jersey floods, Long Island drenched

Water tore through the roof of a BJ's Wholesale Club in Ocean Township on Monday morning, turning a routine shopping trip into a sudden structural failure as severe storms and flash flooding hit Monmouth County. Security camera video captured a large section of the roof and ceiling giving way while water rushed into the store at 1904 Route 35.

Police Chief Michael Sorrentino and Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said emergency responders were called to the store at about 11:16 a.m. Authorities said 27 people were inside when the collapse occurred. Two people were briefly partially trapped, but both freed themselves and got out safely. No injuries were reported.

Route 35 in the area was flooded and described as extremely dangerous, adding to the hazard around the store as heavy rain hammered the corridor. The collapse landed in the middle of a broader storm system that was also bringing flash flooding elsewhere in New Jersey and soaking Long Island, where rainfall rates were expected to reach as much as 2 inches an hour at times across the tri-state area.

The scene underscored how quickly ordinary commercial spaces can become vulnerable when drainage systems are overwhelmed and runoff has nowhere to go. A warehouse club depends on a broad, flat roof and a busy parking area that must shed water fast, but Monday’s storm pushed those systems beyond their limit in a densely built stretch of Monmouth County.

The day’s weather also raised the risk of transit and power disruptions in New York City and on Long Island, where heavy rain was part of the same storm band. In Ocean Township, the immediate danger was more direct: customers and workers inside a big-box store, a flooded highway outside, and a roof that could not hold under the weight of the water.