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.
It’s been nearly a decade and a half since the Brooklyn Nets moved out of New Jersey.
The organization has completely revamped its vibe since switching states, ditching the red, white and blue look for a very basic black and white colorway.
The Nets have also intermittently changed the colors of the banners hanging up in the Barclays Center from red, white and blue to black and white, much to the chagrin of traditional Nets fans.
Despite the Nets now playing in a bigger market and being far removed from their days in the Garden State, some fans seem to hope for the Nets to make their return across the river. New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill was asked about the matter.
“I mean, would I support it? I ask about it all the time,” Sherrill said. “I love the idea. So, I have been pressing for that. I haven’t made a lot of headway yet; you know, maybe in my second 100 days.
“But I do think there is some work being done for some — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say too much about it — but some people are working on some different sports coming into the Rock.”
As time went on, the Nets eventually started to embrace more of their New Jersey roots, which started when they rocked a clean tie-dye jersey from the 90s during the 2020-21 season.
The next season, the Nets followed it up with uniforms commemorating their run in the 2000s, when the team got to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 and endlessly broke the ESPN top 10 with each crazy Jason Kidd assist and Vince Carter dunk.
It’s fitting that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the latter of whom grew up in New Jersey as a Nets fan, got to rock these uniforms, helping boost the popularity of the New Jersey brand to a wide array of fans.
True Nets fans embraced the Continental Airlines Arena/Izod Center and the swamps of East Rutherford, getting to witness a winning basketball team for a fraction of the cost of the team mired in dysfunction that happened to play their home games at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Not many marquee free agents would have signed up to play in New Jersey, but real fans remember the good times in the swamps, especially with Sly the Fox as the team’s mascot. Those times deserve to be remembered properly.
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ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. (WPVI) — Drivers heading to the shore on Friday afternoon saw slow-moving traffic for several miles coming off the Walt Whitman bridge, but many travelers said the start of the holiday weekend was smoother than they anticipated.
Aldara Madden, who was traveling with her friend Elana Maser, said the trip moved faster than she expected.
“I was expecting it to take a lot longer,” she said.
Maser added that they left school early to avoid delays.
“My mom and I do that every year and then we always stop here as our little pre-down the shore,” she said.
Others shared similar experiences.
“I’m coming from Bucks County, so I was worried there was gonna be some traffic but it really wasn’t bad at all,” said Erin McFadden of Churchville, who was headed to Ocean City.
AAA reported that while slightly more people are traveling by car this year compared to last, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year travel growth rate in more than a decade, excluding the steep drop seen in 2020 during the pandemic.
The organization attributes the slowdown largely to concerns over rising prices.
“Gas is ridiculously expensive and I think all the time before going anywhere these days,” said Debbie Maser of Philadelphia. “But this is our happy place and nothing can keep us away.”
A dreary weekend forecast may also be influencing travel patterns.
“I was thinking that, I wonder if there’ll be less congestion on the roads because of the weather,” said Kyra Wolin of Massachusetts. “It’s not looking to be too good this weekend with the rain.”
Still, many shore-bound travelers said tradition outweighs any concerns about rain or crowds.
“No not at all. You go down. You get it done,” said George Miller of Lansdale.
Eric Wolin of Massachusetts agreed: “Never, never. Margate’s a special place for us.”
As the unofficial start of summer begins, travelers said they remain committed to kicking off the season in their favorite spots, not letting rain, traffic, or high prices keep them away.
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This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.
From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.
As summer begins, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is urging residents to limit lawn watering, and hand water flowers and shrubs as a drought warning continues. The warning, in place since December 2025, could turn into a drought emergency if conditions do not improve. The state has suffered eight consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, according to officials.
“New Jersey is experiencing a chronic water supply drought, the scale of which we haven’t seen in more than twenty years,” state geologist Steven Domber said in a statement issued earlier this month. “The indicators that we track closely are showing persistently dry conditions. With uncertainty for rainfall in the coming months, we need residents to conserve water today, to ensure we have enough to sustain our needs over the summer.”
The Department of Environmental Protection uses a variety of indicators to determine drought levels, including precipitation, stream flows, reservoir levels, ground water levels and demand.
In addition to the last two months, officials say, the state “experienced below normal precipitation for 20 of the last 24 months since September 2024,” despite heavy snowfall events this past winter that helped restore reservoirs in North Jersey.
“While we saw a little relief over the winter, New Jersey is feeling the effects of nearly two years of below-normal precipitation,” Sherrill said in a statement earlier this month. She urged residents to voluntarily conserve water.
New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson said that since precipitation has been below normal for most of the last 24 months, the recent winter weather did not provide enough water to help restore streams and groundwater.
Should a drought emergency be declared, mandatory water restrictions would be put in place. The last drought emergency lasted almost a year, between March 2002 and January 2003.
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