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Firefighters rescue man trapped in car from icy New Jersey waters

By
Christine Sloan
Christine Sloan
Christine Sloan
Christine Sloan is an Emmy Award-winning reporter, who covers New Jersey for CBS News New York. Sloan re-joined the station in January 2023. She also worked at CBS News New York from 2004 to 2016.
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Christine Sloan

/ CBS New York

New Jersey firefighters made a dramatic rescue when they pulled a man who was trapped in his car out of the Hackensack River.

First responders found the man "in distress and struggling to escape" after he veered off the roadway on Tuesday night near Court Street Bridge.

As the incoming tide approached, two firefighters were quickly lowered into the frigid waters.

Mike Rainville was on the hood of the car while Nicholas Webster was in the water to help the driver, whose leg was trapped.

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Two firefighters help pull a man out of his car when he drove off the road into the Hackensack River.  HFD Water Rescue

They put a flotation device on him and pulled him out of the driver's side window and onto the roof of the car. He was put on a rescue boat and taken to a nearby hospital, where his condition remains unclear.

Officials praised the responders and said many of them received specialized water rescue training thanks to a federal grant.  

The Hackensack Fire Department also stated the crew worked with a towing company to remove the SUV from the river. The county's hazmat team and police department also helped in securing the scene. 

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First responders worked with a towing company to remove the SUV that plunged into the Hackensack River.  HFD Water Rescue

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