A still shot from Autumn Willette's dash camera video from the storm that went through the Fox Cities on July 27, 2026. (Photo credit: Autumn Willette)
GRAND CHUTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Autumn Willette was driving down a stretch of Spencer Street in Grand Chute when a tornado tore through the Fox Cities, trapping her in her car. A team from We Energies brought her to safety, and a week and a half later they’ve been reunited.
“It was emotional, it was hard not to cry just because I wouldn’t have recognized him,” Willette said of the meeting. “I didn’t remember what he looked like through what was all going on.”
Willette recounted the shocking moment she was driving down the road and power lines fell on her car.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through,” she said. “I crossed the railroad tracks on Spencer Street and it was like a wall where everything just changed. And I was just trying to get into a parking lot to wait the storm out, I had no idea it was a tornado.”
Jamie Lindholm and Dustin Pawlitzke with We Energies came across Willette’s vehicle after the storm had passed. They walked through their experience trying to get her out safely.
“We wanted to make it as safe as possible for Autumn to get out but at the same time we wanted to get going on it because the lines were over a railroad track,” Lindholm said.
It was a heartfelt reunion between them, with notably lower stakes.
“I’m glad to see her in this situation versus the old one,” Lindholm said. “You know, she was calm back then. She said she was pretty jittery, but she didn’t show it. It’s nice to see that she’s doing well.”
Despite the harrowing experience, Willette is seeing the positives, and making sure she is prepared for the next storm.
“Honestly I’m not sure how I’ll react but I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere on my lunch break,” she joked.
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