The 18th of July was a dreary, dark day with intermittent rain, thunder, and even some lightning. But none anticipated a massive sinkhole to appear in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. On Monday, when rain and strong winds swept through New York City, a sinkhole emerged in the Bronx. It grew throughout the evening and swallowed a parked van.
As people in the neighborhood waited in line to see the damage, a van fell into the sinkhole shortly after TV crews and cameras arrived.
The hole was 58 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 20 feet deep, so there was plenty of room for more. According to the Fire Department, it started around 4:15 p.m. in the Radcliff Avenue and Pierce Avenue area of Morris Park. There were no reported injuries.
All but 20 homes lost water service as a result of the sinkhole damage on Tuesday morning. Residents could get water from two city-run Water on the Go fountains nearby.
Antonio Papadoboulous could only watch as his van got swallowed up by this sinkhole. We talk with him tonight at 10 @NY1 https://t.co/YspUehX84G pic.twitter.com/ihnBFJ6Q9J
— Stef Manisero (@StefManisero) July 19, 2022
Residents of Morris Park gathered for hours on Monday to watch as a van parked on the street was swallowed up by a sinkhole.
Antonio Papadoboulos, who had owned the van for 15 years, was its owner. When asked if he was anxious as he watched and anticipated the inevitable, Papadoboulos responded, “No, I’m just going to get a new one.”
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Dep To Repair Giant Sinkhole In Bronx
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is now working to repair the damage. According to NY1, DEP workers were able to successfully extract the car from the sinkhole on Tuesday. They are currently repairing the damage and determining the cause.
According to Vincent Sapienza, Chief Operations Officer for DEP, “They’re going to backfill the excavation as much as they can just to allow us enough access to repair the infrastructure.”
But right now, the DEP is focusing on getting clean water to about 20 homes, especially since heat waves are still happening.
“The water main and sewer will be maintained today, and by the end of the day, we should have at least some of the roads restored,” Sapienza went on. However, the trench will remain for a few more days.
Crews pulled a van out of a massive sinkhole after a street in the Bronx opened up and swallowed the vehicle after a day of torrential rain and flooding across the area. https://t.co/bTPEl8RfNs pic.twitter.com/D8JfXnzH7l
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) July 19, 2022
According to Sapienza, who spoke to NY1 reporter Alyssa Paolicelli, “They’re going to backfill the excavation as much as they can just to give us access to replace the infrastructure.” “Water main and sewer work will continue today, and by the end of the day, we should have at least some of the roadway restored. However, the trench will remain for a few more days.
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The street has seen a big sinkhole twice in the past year, including this one. After Hurricane Ida, a second sinkhole appeared further down the block.
To help prevent a repeat of this incident, the DEP says they will schedule a complete sewage replacement for the community.
