Morning commuters in Coney Island woke up to a street scene that looked more like a movie set than a quiet Wednesday: two transformers toppled onto parked cars on West 36th Street just before 6:50 a.m., leaving one vehicle engulfed in flames and another crushed under the heavy equipment.
The incident unfolded on the block between Mermaid Avenue and Surf Avenue, where FDNY crews rushed in to knock down the fire while utility workers moved quickly to secure live lines and size up the damage. Con Edison’s outage map initially showed roughly 896 customers without power in the area, with restoration estimated for midmorning.
Video posted to the Citizen safety app captured the emergency response, according to News12, which reported the transformers came down on West 36th between Mermaid and Surf avenues. The outlet said one transformer “caught fire and engulfed” a parked vehicle while another crashed down onto a separate car. Reporter Sheyla Torres filed the early account, weaving in reader photos and video from stunned neighbors on the block.
Per the Con Edison outage map, about 896 customers were without lights in the wake of the mishap, and the system listed an estimated restoration time of 9:30 a.m. The utility’s online tracker updates as crews report progress and also lets customers report outages and sign up for text or email alerts.
Safety and restoration
Con Edison has been clear about one thing in situations like this: keep your distance. “Members of the public also should avoid transformers that are brought to the ground,” the company said in a restoration update, stressing that damaged equipment can remain dangerous even after the initial flash and smoke disappear.
The utility also advises that if a power line falls on your car you should stay inside until emergency crews arrive and de-energize the line, rather than trying to jump out on your own. Crews typically prioritize restoring power to hospitals, transit systems and other critical facilities before moving on to residential blocks and individual homes. On West 36th Street, workers focused first on making the area safe and then on hauling damaged equipment off the roadway.
A pattern in Brooklyn
Wednesday’s scare is not the first time this year that Brooklyn drivers have watched utility equipment do serious damage to parked cars. News12 previously reported a manhole and transformer fire in East New York in February that also damaged vehicles and left dozens of customers without power.
Those earlier problems, along with the Coney Island incident, have refocused attention on the city’s aging underground electrical infrastructure and on how quickly crews can secure hot equipment when something fails.
FDNY and utility crews remained on West 36th Street through the morning to complete safety checks and begin repairs, while neighbors were urged to follow local updates as teams work to restore full service. Drivers whose vehicles were hit were advised to document the damage for insurance purposes and to keep an eye on official outage trackers for the latest restoration estimates.
