Hail Damages Hundreds Of Cars, Shatters Mall's Skylights In Berks County

By Diana Rocco

WYOMISSING, Pa., (CBS) -- The storms moved in quickly Thursday in Berks County, pelting the entire region with hail stones.

A horrifying scene caught on cell phone video at the Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing Thursday as the skylights shatter.

"It seemed like all hell broke loose," shopper Nikki Hurst said.

"We thought it was the end of the world, basically," a shopper said.

"People were crying, screaming, running," said Hurst.

While a fast-moving storm was raging outside, there was wide-spread panic inside. Nikki Hurst was standing under one of the mall's skylights when the weight and force of the hail collapsed them.

"The skylights just started shattering. I was under one of them. I have scratches on my back," she said.

As people in the mall ran for cover, the high winds and dangerous conditions gave shoppers and employees no choice but to wait it out.

"You couldn't see anything. Everything was white. It was just a blur," a shopper said.

"Just like that, you saw it hit the other end of the parking lot, and then it just moved in really quick. It seemed like as quick as it started, that's as soon as it ended," Jared Luckenbill said.  His windshield was shattered during the storm.

In a matter of minutes, inches of hail the size of golf balls and bigger, broke the windows out of an apartment complex, and covered the parking lot – denting cars, breaking windshields and leaving hundreds of drivers to the mercy of tow trucks and insurance companies.

Mall security says no injuries were reported inside the mall. They will work through the night to get the skylights fixed and they expect the mall to reopen at 10 a.m. Friday.