Bolt of lightning hits church steeple, killing passing lawyer

THE US north-east is cleaning up after a massive line of thunderstorms swept from Ohio into upstate New York, knocking out power to tens of thousands and leaving at least two people dead.

The New York Post reported the fast-moving, powerful storm claimed the life of a prosecutor with the state attorney general’s office who was struck by scaffolding and bricks after lightning zapped a church steeple in Brooklyn.

Richard Schwartz, 61, was walking home near the Christ Church in Cobble Hill at 8pm when the high-voltage bolt loosened masonry that sent the scaffolding tumbling.

The antitrust investigator was rushed to Long Island College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 A woman in Pennsylvania was killed by a tree felled by the powerful storms.