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‘Not sure this is a good sign for Earth’: Long Island man captures ‘10-mile-long’ lightning bolt

A former firefighter recorded the lightning video while he was at his home. He said another lightning bolt made his house shake.

Published on: Aug 17, 2025, 11:39:32 IST
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A video of a lightning bolt, which reportedly was 10 miles long, captured by a former firefighter, has surfaced on social media. Recorded over Bayport, Long Island, the video shows the bolt illuminating the night sky.

A huge lightning bolt that shocked the firefighter who captured it. (Facebook/Islandwide Weather)
A huge lightning bolt that shocked the firefighter who captured it. (Facebook/Islandwide Weather)

Retired FDNY fireman Kenny Gunther shared the video with Islandwide Weather’s Facebook page. “ONE OF THE SICKEST BOLTS OF LIGHTNING I'VE EVER SEEN ON LONG ISLAND!!!!!!! Just south of Bayport, NY,” the page wrote.

According to a report by the New York Post, Gunther was at his home when he felt the floor under his feet shaking. He then saw a flash outside his window.

“I just grabbed my iPhone and I just stick it on the windowsill in my bedroom facing south with their widest angle, and I just had it record,” he said.

He added, “I turn all the lights off and I’m just sitting there quiet. And then all of a sudden I saw that lightning and I said, ‘Oh my God, I think I just got that!’ And I went back and watched it and I said, ‘Holy cow, that is freaking amazing.'”

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Gunther said that the lightning was so long that he couldn’t record it for its entire length. “It actually went out of frame. That thing had to be 10 miles wide,” he said, adding, “And that one wasn’t even that much of a clap of thunder. But the one before that was, that’s the one that shook the house.”

How did social media react?

An individual wrote, “I’m pretty sure this was the bolt I caught in Holtsville. Horizontal just like that. I said ‘Whoa, that was sick’ lol.” Another added, “Craziest thing I’ve ever seen! It lit up the sky in one spot and then just rolled across, lighting the dark part of the sky as it went along. Then, a few seconds later, the thunder matched!”

A third expressed, “Literally lit up my entire house. I thought a nuke dropped. I didn’t know what to do.” A fourth remarked, “The Lightning was insane! Our outdoor light sensor flickered like crazy every time a bolt shot across the sky.”

A worried social media user commented, "Not sure this is a good sign for Earth."

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More