Hear It: Booming thunderclap caught on Illinois officer's body camera after lightning strike

The booming crack of thunder could be heard just a split second after the lightning bolt flashed and struck a nearby tree in Round Lake, Illinois.

ROUND LAKE, Ill. – A close call for a police officer and two other people in Round Lake, Illinois after lightning struck the base of a nearby tree during a severe thunderstorm

The shocking video was captured on the officer's body camera. No injuries were reported.

The booming crack of thunder could be heard just a split second after the lightning bolt flashed. The officer urged one person who was outside to get under the cover of a garage where he was assisting a person on a non-emergency call Wednesday afternoon, according to the Round Lake Police Department.

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The close call comes after a lightning strike at an outdoor archery range in eastern New Jersey killed a 61-year-old man earlier this week and injured more than a dozen others, local authorities said.

Meanwhile, a young man died Monday, nearly a week after he was struck by lightning while playing golf, also in New Jersey.

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FILE - Cloud to ground lightning strikes during a supercell thunderstorm, May 9, 2017 in Lamb County, Texas.  (Drew Angerer)

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FILE - Lightning crackles across the night sky over Lake Minnehaha near downtown Maitland as storms rolls through central Florida on May 27, 2011.  (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

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FILE - Lightning over Seattle on May 3, 2023. (Sigma Sreedharan Photography)

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FILE - Multiple lightning strikes in Seattle during a thunderstorm on March 26, 2025. (Aaron Johnson)

Experts say that the best way to stay safe from lightning in general, is to stay inside.

For first responders who are out in severe weather, John Jensenius with the National Lightning Safety Council told FOX Weather that being inside a hard-topped vehicle can provide a measure of protection.