Man sleeping in tent pinned by fallen tree

A man sleeping in a tent escaped serious injury Wednesday evening when a tree fell on him in Ocean County, authorities say.

The incident in Toms River happened around 10:40 p.m., when police, fire, and medical units responded to the New Jersey Transit Bus Terminal on Highland Parkway.

Upon arrival, they were directed to a wooded area adjacent to the property, where they discovered a 40-year-old man “pinned to the ground by a tree that had fallen under the weight of the snow,” Toms River Police Department spokesman Ralph Stocco said.

The man, who authorities have not identified, was sleeping when the tree crashed through his tent, the spokesman added.

He was transported conscious and alert to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

More than a foot of wet snow fell in Ocean County late Wednesday into early Thursday. Numerous downed trees and branches were reported throughout the region.