Exploring a mile-long abandoned train tunnel is not a great idea in the best weather -- but in the middle of a severe rainstorm, it could have been deadly for two teens in New Jersey when flash flooding swept through Bergen County.
Officials say the teens got stuck in an old train tunnel in Edgewater when the water started rising quickly. The tunnel was passable when the teens first walked in on the Fairview side to explore, but storm water rushed in from both sides and trapped them in the middle.
Amazingly, they were able to get a cell signal 200 feet underground to call for help. Emergency crews received the 911 call around 4:30 p.m. for help off River Road.
Firefighters swam in and pulled the two kids out of the tunnel -- after they'd reportedly been inside the tunnel for several hours.
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"They said they were in the tunnel for about two hours. They'd seen something on the internet where they wanted to explore the tunnel," Lt. Robert Jacobsen said. "Just think before you do things, especially with the weather outside."
Jacobsen said the rescued teens were OK, but they were still taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out.
The Edgewater train tunnel has not been used for 60 years and people sometimes want to walk through it to explore a key spot mentioned on the website weirdnj.com. The train tunnel's claim to fame is that it's the only train tunnel in the country that runs under a cemetery. That designation has continued to lure unauthorized "visitors" to the tunnel, which some people believe is haunted.
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The rescue came amid a seemingly endless downpour in the Garden State, most of which was under a flash flood watch for all of Sunday.
