Rutgers University baseball equipment soaked with jet fuel
PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (WABC) -- The Rutgers University baseball team is figuring out their next steps after their equipment was sprayed with jet fuel as it was being loaded at an airport on Sunday.
The Scarlet Knights had wrapped up a series in Arizona and while making their connecting flight in Salt Lake City, their equipment bags were soaked in jet fuel when a truck ran over a fuel line pumping gas into their Delta flight.
"Some of it is just on the outside of the suitcase and did not soak in, and some of it is just a total loss," Steve Owens, Scarlet Knights Baseball Coach, said.
The bags wreaking of jet fuel contained the team's away uniforms, bats, balls, gloves and personal effects and there could be issues getting them replaced.
"The issue with baseball uniforms is that they take two months to make and that's in the off season." Owens said. "Many of uniforms are made overseas in China."
The team had to fly back without most of their bags, but hope that some will be cleared to return.
The team has started out the season 5 and 5 and northeast teams usually play a lot of away games early in the season because of weather.
This incident with the team's belongings could not come at a worse time.
"We just have a lot of stuff to figure out because we are in the middle of the season and we don't have equipment or uniforms," Owens said.
The Scarlet Knights were scheduled to play another away game in Philadelphia, but that game has been postponed due to the team's equipment problems.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
