Shocking video shows the moment a New Jersey home met disaster this week when a water main break sent an immense geyser of water shooting directly at the front of the house — and the damage forced the hapless homeowner out of their humble abode.
The reverse waterfall erupted Monday afternoon when contractors working in a neighborhood in Edison, New Jersey, accidentally smashed a 30-inch water main at about 4 p.m., Mayor Sam Joshi told the Star-Ledger.
The results of their carelessness were staggering: A massive plume of water blew nearly sideways from the road and pummeled the front of a corner lot home on Woodbrook Drive — as some of the water shot out with such force that it careened over the top of the two-story building.
The woman who owns the home was too overwhelmed to speak on camera, according to ABC 7. But neighbors said the intensity of the stream left them in shock.
“I came out of the house, I thought it was a fire with the water spreading over the roof of the house,” resident Barbara McMahon told the station. “When I walked this way, there was a hole in the ground and the water was shooting directly at the top window.”
Local firefighters, cops and town officials swarmed the scene and worked to shut down the lines, which Joshi said are owned by Middlesex Water Company.
“The break was caused by a contractor doing work,” Joshi told ABC. “The good thing is that no one was hurt. I spoke to the residents, they will obviously not be able to go back into their homes. It’s a very unfortunate situation.”
The mayor added that there were “close to 100 valves that would need to be turned off” to stem the tide.
“There’s not one big shutoff for this particular main, so the Middlesex Water Company is out there right now, and they are shutting off the valves,” Joshi said.
Investigators have been working to find out who caused the break, which continued for hours until officials finally cut the feed.
Meanwhile, contractors have shut down parts of the block as they try to make repairs, according to ABC.
“There were some cable workers digging the hole from one side of the road to another side,” Gobi Penugonda, another resident, told the station.
In a Tuesday statement, the Middlesex Water Company said it was working to fix the damage.
“Crews expect to fill and begin flushing the main tonight,” the statement said. “We anticipate having the road re-opened tomorrow mid-day and that the main will be returned to service by Friday mid-day.”
Residents were thrilled the destruction was limited in its scope.
“It’s an accident, so we have to accept it, and mistakes will happen,” Penugonda said. “But fortunately, all the departments acted quickly and they are taking care of it nicely.”
