Torrential rain and flash flooding led to dramatic rescues Monday in New Jersey, as Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency.
Cars stalled and crews scrambled to shut down roads in the Garden State while storms pummeled the Tri-State Area.
Route 22 eastbound remains closed for emergency repairs in Somerset County. Drivers are being detoured onto Washington Avenue in Greenbrook.
Flash flood rescues in Scotch Plains
Raging floodwaters raced through Scotch Plains, and much of Union County, stranding drivers who were trapped in their vehicles as the waters rose.
In one rescue, crews used a rope to pull a man out of his car through the raging floodwaters to safe ground.
Authorities also launched boats into the flooded streets, as the intense rainfall caused the Green Brook River in the Watchung Reserve to overflow.
Many said it was some of the worst flooding they had ever seen.
“Maybe in like 15, 20 minutes it went from maybe just a little stream of water, and then it just started flooding over,” a woman said. “Pretty scary.”
Rafts made their way through the streets, scooping up people with no way out and bringing them back to safety. Others were carried by a frontloader.
“Because of the water, we couldn’t go any further. So we had to get out and we tried to go up the road and we couldn’t. So they told us just to stay there and they came and picked me up in a loader,” another woman said.
Other people whose cars were submerged had no way to get home, except by way of a giant truck that became a huge bus to carry them away.
House explosion in North Plainfield
As first responders were busy with dozens of water rescues, they received a report of a house explosion in North Plainfield.
They arrived to find the home in pieces. The front was blown off, exposing the staircase to the second floor.
Firefighters said the home was engulfed in flames when they first arrived. After getting the fire under control, they did a thorough search and determined the home was unoccupied. No injuries were reported to firefighters either.
The firefighting effort was complicated by the torrential rains. First responders had to wade through ankle deep water as they dragged their hose lines.
The fire department has since left. How the fire started is still under investigation.
“I’ve never seen flooding like this”
In nearby Plainfield, the heavy rain turned streets into rivers that rushed past homes and knocked down trees.
“I’ve never seen flooding like this,” Michael Vargas said.
Vargas said directions on his phone led him to a flooded street where he was trapped for more than an hour.
“It was all the way up, all the way up here. So, just sat there. I’m sure the car, I mean there’s nothing I can do. It’s ruined. Time for a new car,” he said.
The tow truck driver who helped Vargas told CBS News New York it was a very busy night for business.
Meanwhile, in the time of need, some jumped into action to help others.
“It’s what we do in Plainfield. Try to help a neighbor out along the way,” Marc Williams said.
Read the full article by Dick Brennan, Christina Fan, Adi Guajardo / CBS
