Man Struck by Lightning Says Survival Was No Accident: 'It's Truly a Miracle' (Video)
Abby Trivett : Sep 4, 2026
Charisma Media
"It makes me rethink about what my priorities are in life, to always recommit myself to God, recommit myself to my family, take a step back when life is too overwhelming and stressful." -Thomas Fahmy
[Charisma News] One moment, Thomas Fahmy was walking toward his car on Staten Island. The next, a flash of lightning sent him crashing to the pavement. (Screengrab image: via Fox News /Nest)
And somehow, he walked away.
The terrifying moment was captured on a doorbell camera as Fahmy, a congressional staffer for New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, was struck by lightning on Aug. 27 while heading to a dentist appointment. Days later, Fahmy appeared on "Fox & Friends" and made it clear that he does not see his survival as merely a lucky break.
"It's truly a miracle for me to have survived," Fahmy told Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt. "It really is."
Fahmy said he had left his office early and was just 10 to 15 feet from his car when everything changed.
"I was literally 10 or 15 feet away from my car and boom, lightning struck," he said. "I fell to the ground."
Fahmy said he immediately realized what had happened and began screaming for help, fearing another bolt could strike him. A nearby woman carrying her child heard his cries, opened her door and helped get emergency assistance.
The physical sensation was unlike anything Fahmy had experienced.
"It was a painful burning sensation throughout my body," he told Fox News, describing pain and tingling in his feet and legs.
Yet what happened next was remarkable.
Fahmy was taken to the hospital, where doctors found no burns or serious injuries. He remained overnight for observation and was released the following day. Within days, he was climbing stairs, getting out of bed comfortably and back at work.
"No damage, no," Fahmy said when Earhardt asked about lasting injuries, later adding, "So thank God." (Screengrab image: via Fox News)
His gratitude did not end there.
Fahmy told ABC News that he doesn't consider his survival a matter of luck.
"I think it's not luck—I think blessed," he said. "There's a good chance that I wouldn't be here now, but because of grace, by grace, I'm here."
He also reportedly went to church that Sunday specifically to thank God.
But perhaps the most powerful part of Fahmy's story is what happened internally after the lightning stopped flashing.
Near-death moments have a way of stripping away the noise. Suddenly, deadlines, stress and the endless demands of daily life can look remarkably different. For Fahmy, surviving the strike became a wake-up call about where his priorities belonged.
"It makes me rethink about what my priorities are in life," he told Fox News, "to always recommit myself to God, recommit myself to my family, take a step back when life is too overwhelming and stressful."
Those are striking words from a man who, just moments before the lightning hit, was thinking about work and the congressional cases waiting for his attention.
Now, he is thinking about grace.
Fahmy's story is a dramatic reminder of just how quickly an ordinary day can change—and how precious the next breath really is. He walked toward his car expecting nothing more dramatic than a trip to the dentist. Instead, he walked away from an encounter that could have ended very differently.
And after surviving it, Fahmy knows exactly where he wants to focus: on God, his family and gratitude for the life he has been given. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here