Rushing floodwaters left a teenager clinging to a tree in South Jersey Monday as crews rushed to rescue him.
Emergency crews were called to Black Horse Pike (Route 322) and Fenimore Drive in Collings Lakes, N.J. Monday around 5:30 p.m. amidst reports of a teen clutching a tree branch as water rushed by him.
Kevin Reid, 17, was stuck in the rushing current from a broken dam -- it broke earlier in the day -- between Braddock and Cushman Lakes as firefighters from Folsom and Malaga as well as Hammonton and Collings Lakes crews worked to rescue the teen, authorities said.
New Jersey State Police were also on the scene but didn't participate in the actual rescue, cops said.
Reid was in the water in the first place after curiosity got the best of him and some friends as they tried to cross the water where an asphalt path was washed out.
"We didn't know it was that strong," Reid said Tuesday. "I took a step and I got washed away."
The Williamstown teen was able to grab onto some branches and sort of shimmy himself up the tree a little but he was still being hit by the raging water, witnesses said.
"A whole bunch of things were going through my head...didn't want the tree to fall, I didn't want to let go," Reid said.
By 6:30 p.m. rescuers had reached Reid and were trying to free him from the rushing waters. A few minutes later the teen was out of the water and able to walk to a nearby clearing with the help of authorities.
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He was then put on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He was shaken up and suffered a gash on his foot but otherwise he was OK.
When it was all over Reid had spent about one and half hours clinging to the tree, according to witnesses.
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