The wind came without warning, snapping through the air with a violence that made the world feel unmoored. In State College, Pennsylvania, what started as a routine intramural soccer match ended in a viral moment that straddled comedy and catastrophe.

A portable toilet, anchored, or so it seemed, suddenly lifted from the ground, caught in a powerful gust sweeping across the field. Within seconds, it became a missile. A nearby referee, clad in the classic black and white stripes, never saw it coming. The plastic structure slammed into him mid-sprint, knocking him off his feet and into another man wearing yellow.

The footage, taken by a nearby spectator, captures laughter, screams, and disbelief. For a moment, it feels like slapstick. Then the reality sets in. This was no prank. Porta potties weigh more than 230 pounds, and it takes extreme force to make one fly.

The referee’s condition was initially unclear, though TMZ later reported he “walked it off” with no serious injuries. But the context around the moment was anything but light.

This flying toilet incident unfolded during a deadly storm system that swept across Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Three people were killed, including a 22-year-old man in State College who was electrocuted while trying to extinguish a fire caused by downed power lines. Another man died in Pittsburgh in similar circumstances. A third fatality was reported in Allegheny County, though details remain sparse.

Centre County bore the brunt of the destruction. Thousands lost power as trees and utility poles crumbled under the pressure of the wind. Schools closed, roadways flooded, and utility crews worked overtime in the dark, racing to clean up the wreckage before more rainfall triggered flash floods.

By Wednesday morning, more than 500,000 residents across Pennsylvania and Ohio were still without electricity. The National Weather Service warned that the danger was not yet over.

The referee, lucky enough to be struck by plastic rather than lightning, may have a story for life. But for many across the state, the storm left a trail of grief and destruction that a viral video cannot wash away.