An 86-year-old man escaped serious harm after his car drove into a canal in Wharton, New Jersey, on Friday night, in a frightening incident that ended with officers and a bystander rushing to pull him from the rising water. Police said the rescue unfolded during heavy rain that made conditions on the road treacherous.
According to police, the man was attempting to make a U-turn in the dark when he drove off the road and into the canal. The mix of darkness and a steady downpour left little margin for error along the water's edge, and the vehicle ended up in the canal before he could correct course.
The car went into the water nose-first, and witnesses said the man could easily have been completely submerged. By hitting the gas, he managed to bring the vehicle up slightly, ending up on his knees inside as the water rose to the level of the steering wheel, with just enough room left for him to keep breathing.
Trapped inside, the man tried to open his window but found that it would not work. That left rescuers with a single option, and one of them smashed the window to reach him and get him out of the car before the situation could turn deadly in the dark and the rain.
Officers happened to be nearby working a local concert when the crash occurred, and they raced to the scene within moments of the car going in. Their quick response, captured on dramatic video, helped ensure the man was freed from the vehicle in time. Despite the ordeal, he was not injured.
In the aftermath, Wharton officials said they are now looking at adding rocks along the canal bank as a safeguard, hoping the barrier could stop a vehicle from sliding into the water and prevent a similar accident from happening again at the same spot.