NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (WPVI) — A tree service worker was killed Tuesday morning in Newtown Square when a large tree suddenly toppled while a crew was clearing another downed tree along Earles Lane.
Gilberto Senecio Feregrino, an employee of Flynn Tree Services, was struck by that falling tree. The 43-year-old, who was from West Chester, was pronounced dead a short time later.
Jeff Linton, the owner of JC Linton Tree Service in Newtown Square, said the incident is heartbreaking.
“I got 44 years doing this … I thank God every day that none of my guys have ever been hurt, nor have I,” Linton said.
Linton said he observed evidence of rotting within the tree’s root system, but added that the timing of the collapse was difficult to understand because it occurred nearly 12 hours after the storm.
The fatal incident came as Monday night’s storm caused widespread damage across the region, with numerous reports of fallen trees.
In Wallingford, Delaware County, a tree fell onto a house along Beech Road. Farther north, significant damage was reported in Allentown, including scenes of downed trees and debris.
In Philadelphia’s Wynnefield section, a massive tree brought down power lines and at least four utility poles before landing on a parked car along Conshohocken Avenue.
Jerome Anderson, who lives in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood, described the intensity of the storm.
“I could hear the wind and everything blowing with the thunder and lightning. Then I heard a sound, I thought it was lightning, but when all the lights went out, I came outside, and I thought it was right here, but actually it was over there. And the trees just fell right on the wires and knocked everything out,” Anderson said.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.