Yassin Khalifa, a high school sophomore, was enjoying a picnic in Central Park with friends when the storm suddenly blew in.
"I leaned up against a tree, and I told them, 'Oh, guys, let's ride out the storm.' Which in hindsight might not have been the best idea," Khalifa said.
The teen had no way of knowing that tree would be hit by lightning.
The jolt knocked him unconscious for a few minutes, but he was alert when taken by ambulance to get medical treatment. He told our sister station WABC by phone that he was surrounded by loved ones.
He said he is being treated for second-degree burns on his neck and leg and expects to make a full recovery.
"Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened. So I'm like, not losing any sort of motor function. So I'm pretty happy about that," Khalifa said.