True! America’s Statue of Liberty was struck by lightning

By Laymah Kollie

Image of Statue Liberty. Photo Source: World atlas Google.

Claim: A Facebook user claims that lightning struck America’s famous Statue of Liberty.

Verdict: True. DUBAWA’s checks confirmed the popular Statue of Liberty was struck by lightning on Apr. 3, 2024, after a windstorm and heavy downpour in New York. The image was taken by a British Freelance photographer, Dan Martland, and confirmed by the National Weather Service of America.

Full Text

On Apr. 4, 2024, a Liberian Facebook user claimed that America’s Statue of Liberty was struck by lightning on Apr 3, 2024.

“Wow! Shocking news from America. Just yesterday night lightning struck Lady Liberty, the representing statue of Liberty in America,” the post said.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention has said the Statue of Liberty is a towering monument made in Paris by the French sculptor Barthodi, in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel, as a gift on the centenary of American independence. It was inaugurated in 1886 and stands at the entrance to New York Harbour.
Data available on Facebook showed that the post had received 413 likes, 54 comments, and 14 shares as of Apr. 19, 2024.

DUBAWA decided to probe the claim as part of its campaign against misinformation and disinformation in Liberia.

Verification

Checks by DUBAWA using Google Reverse Image Search showed the reported incident happened in New York on Apr. 3, 2024, as claimed.

The images of the Statue of Liberty being zapped by a bolt of lightning were first shared by a Freelance photographer, Dan Martland, on his social media handles.

The celebrated photographer wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Apr. 3, 2024:

“She’s Electric. This afternoon’s passing storm didn’t disappoint. The #StatueOfLiberty getting zapped by a bolt of #Lightning #storm #weather #NYC.”
A further check by DUBAWA showed that the incident had been reported by some media organisations in America, including the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), operated by the Walt Disney Company.

The ABC reported that:

“Check out this picture taken by an eyewitness viewer. This is Miss Liberty…striking the torch almost right there, illuminating the torch bar,” the reporter said, pointing to one of the pictures taken by Dan Martland.

Also, reacting to the pictures captured by the photographer, the National Weather Service of America wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that:

“Even Lady Liberty would agree: “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!” No place outside is safe during a thunderstorm.”

See here and here for other media reports about the incident.

Conclusion

Sources have confirmed that the New York-based Statue of Liberty, popularly called Lady Liberty, was struck by lightning on Apr. 3, 2024. Therefore, the claim is true.