Following stormy weather, heavy floods have caused havoc in northern New Jersey, in areas around 20 miles west from New York City.
Dramatic footage shot in Little Falls, New Jersey, shows cars from a dealership close to the Peckman River being swept along by the force of the floodwater.
Cars which had been kept at the Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership now piled and jostled together, along with an assortment of debris, against the side of a waterlogged highway overpass. The doomed windshields still bore their bright price stickers.
Locals could be seen observing the sickening destruction, as the once shiny, well-presented vehicles became partially submerged beneath the dirty waters; crashing against each other in a way which will no doubt cause proud car owners everywhere to shudder.
Motorist Daniel Perrotta’s car was being serviced at the dealership at the time of the flooding. When he saw the alarming footage, he went to check up on it.
According to ABC7, Perrotta said:
The only thing I can hope for is God let my vehicle still be up on the lift. If not, then it’s a total loss.
Vincent Cleffi from Ajaco Towing gave some insight into the state the vehicles had been left in:
They’re all filled with mud, rocks and whatever you can flush into a car. It’s there.
Unfortunately, the flooding continued to spread, affecting various homes and businesses aside from the dealership; leaving some buildings underwater and numerous cars abandoned on streets after owners fled.
One new Jersey resident tweeted a shocking picture of the road in front of his home being transformed into a river, claiming:
The flash flood in front of my house in New Jersey took out this car. The water was waist-high.
Another local said:
I got caught in a flash flood by my house. Luckily I made it home. Some scary sh*t out there. New Jersey is flooding and California is burning. God please help us.
The Bogota Police Department even had to help a stranded bride climb out from the sunroof of a submerged bridal car and into a waiting Humvee.
The officers shared the heroic footage on Facebook, writing:
Unfortunately due to the quickly rising flood waters, this bride, her new husband and wedding party friends, got a rough start on things. The fortunate thing, is we were able to help them through their first rough patch.
Obviously their day has not gone as planned, so let’s congratulate them on their wedding and give them best wishes for a lifetime of love and adventure, starting now.
Miraculously, new bride Sabrina Torrens and her beautiful white gown managed to stay dry throughout the whole ordeal – according to the Hackensack Daily Voice.
ABC7 reported how approximately 16 cars had been towed from the waters by Sunday morning.
Although the waters had begun to recede by Sunday, the ongoing clean up operation within the affected areas is said to be extensive.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.