New Jersey
New Jersey flash flooding triggers dramatic rescues
Dick Brennan joined CBS News New York in 2012 as an anchor and reporter.
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Torrential rain and flash flooding led to dramatic rescues in New Jersey as Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency.
Cars stalled and crews scrambled to shut down roads Monday in the Garden State while storms pummeled the Tri-State Area.
Flash flood rescues in Scotch Plains
Raging floodwaters raced through Scotch Plains, and much of Union County, stranding drivers who were trapped in their vehicles as the waters rose.
In one rescue, crews used rope to pull a man out of his car through the raging floodwaters to safe ground.
Authorities also launched boats into the flooded streets as the intense rainfall caused the Green Brook River in the Watchung Reserve to overflow.
Many said it was some of the worst flooding they ever saw.
“Maybe in like 15, 20 minutes it went from maybe just a little stream of water, and then it just started flooding over,” a woman said. “Pretty scary.”
Rafts made their way through the streets, scooping up people with no way out and bringing them back to safety.
Others were carried by a frontloader.
“Because of the water, we couldn’t go any further. So we had to get out and we tried to go up the road and we couldn’t. So they told us just to stay there and they came and picked me up in a loader,” another woman said.
Other people whose cars were submerged had no way to get home, except by way of a giant truck that became a huge bus to carry them away.
“I’ve never seen flooding like this”
In Plainfield, the heavy rain turned streets into rivers that rushed past homes and knocked down trees.
“I’ve never seen flooding like this,” Michael Vargas said.
Vargas said directions on his phone led him to a flooded street where he was trapped for more than an hour.
“It was all the way up, all the way up here. So, just sat there. I’m sure the car, I mean there’s nothing I can do. It’s ruined. Time for a new car,” he said.
The tow truck driver who helped Vargas told CBS News New York it was a very busy night for business.
Meanwhile, in the time of need, some jumped into action to help others.
“It’s what we do in Plainfield. Try to help a neighbor out along the way,” Marc Williams said.
In Roselle Park, rain flooded several businesses on Chestnut Street.
“Probably about six inches to a foot inside the restaurant,” Russell Olden, one of the owners of Dowling’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, said.
Olden said he rushed over as soon as he found out about the flooding.
“It’s not just my business. It’s not just my employees. It’s everybody down in this area. The water comes in, it comes in quick, and there’s really no time to react to it,” he said.
As the water receded in some areas, the cleanup efforts were just beginning to get under way.
“It’s disheartening. It’s not the best feeling in the world, but we’re resilient, we’re strong,” Olden said.
Olden said his restaurant last flooded during Hurricane Ida, so he knows exactly what the next steps are. He’ll bring in professional help to assess the damage.
How to protect your NJ home from wind: Video
Here’s how to windproof your home to minimize damage, and what to do if a tree falls on your property as a result of the weather
A severe thunderstorm watch looms over North Jersey on the evening of June 12 after days of extreme heat.
Nation Weather Service New York declared a severe thunderstorm watch for numerous North Jersey counties including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Morris and Sussex among other Central Jersey and New York counties. The watch is in effect until 9 p.m., according to the NWS statement.
In an hourly forecast from The Weather Channel for Paramus, there is a 74% chance of thunderstorms at 7 p.m.
High temperatures reached past 90 degrees in many parts of North Jersey on June 11 and June 12 as a heat advisory also remains in effect until 8 p.m., said NWS New York.
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
PHILADELPHIA – Philip McPherson II, a 37-year-old from Riverside, New Jersey, was sentenced Thursday, June 11, to 78 months in prison for his role in a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing and charges for fatal Lehigh Valley crash
What we know:
United States District Judge John M. Gallagher sentenced McPherson to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, a $4,300 special assessment, and $19,530 in restitution. Judge Gallagher also barred McPherson from working in the aviation industry.
McPherson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
The backstory:
Court filings show that on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown as the pilot-in-command with student pilot K.K. and crashed shortly after, resulting in K.K.’s death.
Prosecutors said McPherson acted with gross negligence, knowing he was not competent to fly as pilot-in-command. He had two prior crashes, nearly a third, and failed a reexamination for his pilot’s certificate in September 2021.
McPherson voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate in October 2021 and let his Temporary Airman Certificate expire in November 2021, acknowledging his inability to meet FAA standards.
He admitted to flying with passengers without a valid FAA pilot’s certificate between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, FAA, and Salisbury Township Police Department worked on the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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