Cars swept away by floodwaters at New Jersey dealership
Torrential downpours fell in the Tri-State area Saturday, and in Little Falls, New Jersey, rising floodwaters engulfed cars at Chrysler Jeep Dodge Dealership of Little Falls, tossing them around like toys.
Sunday, August 12, 2018 11:16AM
LITTLE FALLS, New Jersey (WABC) --
Like a water edition of destruction derby, cars in New Jersey were swept away by heavy flooding during Saturday's strong storms.
The Chrysler Jeep Dodge Dealership of Little Falls is in crisis, after car after car floated to its demise.
Danielle Leigh has more on the dangerous floodwaters in New Jersey.
After seeing the video, Daniel Perrotta, whose car was being serviced there, immediately came to check on it.
"The only thing I can hope for is God let my vehicle still be up on the lift. If not, then it's a total loss," said Perrotta.
People on Route 46 were also stranded and forced to turn around.
The flood water did not stop there - it suddenly spewed out into Woodland Park, leaving streets, homes and businesses underwater.
Sebastian Jackson was in target practice when empty cars fled their parking spots and the shooting range filled up with water.
As the flooding spread, so did the chaos - leaving tow trucks to retrieve cars abandoned in the middle of the street.
Maria Florio says she barely moved her vehicle to higher ground in time - minutes later her garage and basement had flooded too.
"It was basically hysterics, basically you didn't have time to be scared," Florio said.
The car dealership is near the Peckman River, where cars ended up submerged in the water. A towing company owner said about 16 cars had been removed from the river by Sunday morning.
"They're all filled with mud, rocks and whatever you can flush into a car. It's there," said Vincent Cleffi of Ajaco Towing.
The waters began receding Sunday, leaving behind a muddy mess and a major cleanup in buildings and parking lots throughout the affected area.