Workers rescued from New Jersey industrial park stranded by floodwaters

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Drenching rain causes severe flooding in Tri-State
Josh Einiger reports on the flooding in New Jersey and the rescue of some stranded workers in Fairview.

FAIRVIEW, New Jersey (WABC) -- Hundreds of workers at an industrial park in New Jersey were left stranded in the midst of Tuesday's torrential rains.

Their building in Fairview was surrounded by water and the only way out was a front end loader and other vehicles that were used to rescue them.

The rain left the area along Fairview Avenue swamped under several feet of water.

Mutual aid from other fire departments in the area was called in to help bring out the 216 workers, with the help of a boat and a military surplus truck acquired specifically for high water rescues.

A nearby creek was already at flood stage before Tuesday's rain and the latest storms contributed to the flooding around the industrial park.

"It was kind of bad timing. It was high tide, we had rain a couple of days ago. The water was already at peak," said Battalion Chief David Brierty of the Ridgefield Park Fire Department. "This rain came in so fast and so hard it came up real real quick and nobody had a chance to get out of it."

No injuries were reported.

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