By Matt Gray
NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J.
SALEM COUNTY, N.J. — New Jersey State Police troopers rescued a man from a vehicle caught in a flash flood in Salem County over the weekend.
It was shortly after 1 a.m. on Aug. 8 when Troopers Christopher Engel and Colin Reilly responded to a report of a motorist trapped on Route 40 in Pilesgrove Township as storms swept through the region.
They found the 65-year-old driver in a vehicle pinned against a guardrail.
Body camera video released by the police shows the troopers wading through knee-deep water along a dark stretch of roadway to the stranded vehicle.
Because of quickly rising floodwaters from a nearby waterway and the pressure of the current, the troopers knew they had to work quickly, according to an announcement released with the video.
In the video, the car door opens as water rushes past and a trooper helps the man from the driver’s seat.
“Thank you,” the driver says, as they guide him to safety. The man was treated by EMTs and released.
Police used the rescue as an opportunity to remind motorists of the deadly dangers posed by flash floods.
“Remember, flash flooding can happen quickly. If you encounter a flooded area, turn around.”
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