Heavy rains lead to flooding, road closures and stranded cars in Toms River

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (WABC) -- Severe thunderstorms moved through parts of New Jersey Thursday, causing flooding and road closures in Toms River.[br /][br /]Dozens of people had to be rescued from stranded vehicles.[br /][Ads /][br /]Adams Avenue was still inundated Thursday night. Hours after the rain finally stopped and after the water started receding.[br /][br /]The damage was done. As of 9 p.m., tow trucks were cleaning up.[br /][br /]"We're going over the Seaside Bridge and just a wave of water just went right over. I've never seen anything this bad ever," said Lauren Russnak, a stranded driver.[br /][br /]Russnak was among dozens of drivers stopped dead in their tracks. Their cars were fried by an unstoppable wave of water.[br /][br /]Some people had to be pushed to safety.[br /][br /]"Oh the water was probably as high as the tire well here," said Matt Fraser, a stranded driver.[br /][br /]People who've lived for generations in this seaside town say they've never seen a storm quite like this; from the hail, to the lightning, to the floodwaters that kept on rising.[br /][br /]"This whole area was covered with water. You couldn't see any of the curbs," a resident said.[br /][br /]"I didn't know if it was ever going to stop," a resident said.[br /][br /]The deluge was so intense people's windshield wipers just couldn't keep up.[br /][br /]In just over an hour, more than five inches of water cascaded into neighborhood sewer systems that couldn't take the pressure.[br /][br /]And while this was an exceptional storm, some residents say it actually takes much less to cause an aftermath like this. Laurie Wutch has lost three furnaces in a decade.[br /][br /]"They've got to put in more drain systems, they've got to clean the drains, they've got to do something to help us, and these situations are going to happen over and over again. What are we supposed to do?" Wutch said.[br /][br /]She hopes the town learns a lesson from Thursday night's mess. Fraser says he sure has.[br /][br /]"I'm getting a truck! No more of that!" Fraser said.[br /][br /][photo ID="747058" /][br /]No injuries were reported.[br /][br /][url HREF="[br /]http://www.app.com/story/news/local/toms-river-area/toms-river/2015/05/28/downpour-causes-flash-flooding-toms-rivers-east-end/28092021/" TARGET="[br /]http://www.app.com/story/news/local/toms-river-area/toms-river/2015/05/28/downpour-causes-flash-flooding-toms-rivers-east-end/28092021/" REL="[br /]http://www.app.com/story/news/local/toms-river-area/toms-river/2015/05/28/downpour-causes-flash-flooding-toms-rivers-east-end/28092021/"][br /]The Asbury Park Press[/url] said some drivers were stranded with water up to their windows.[br /][br /][photo ID="746982" /][br /][br /][i][br /](Some information from the Associated Press.)[/i]