Video footage shows the moment a sinkhole in New York swallowed up an entire van following severe weather – something the owner is surprisingly chilled out about.
The sinkhole appeared on Radcliffe Avenue in Morris Park, the Bronx, having grown to become the length of three cars after the area was hit by torrential rain and flash floods.
While, thankfully, no injuries were reported, one of the street’s four-wheeled residents didn’t fare quite so well, having had the ground crumble beneath it as it clung on for dear life before eventually plummeting into the hole. Watch the video here:
Footage filmed by onlookers captured the van and another car parked on the street, sitting dangerously close to the growing hole.
After a few moments of suspense, the ground finally gave way and sent the van toppling into the hole - setting off its car alarm as the person recording could be heard exclaiming: “Oh! It’s going!”
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But while many of locals watched on in horror, it seems the van's owner was at peace with the loss of his vehicle.
In fact, Antonio Papadopoulus, who was also at the scene when his van fell in, said he actually felt pretty happy about what happened.
When NBC New York asked the resident why, he simply said: "Because I lost my van. I don't want to be sad or mad or this... I want to be happy."
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The outlet added that repair work is likely to be 'extensive' because crews have had to rebuilt the 'entire subsurface infrastructure', while also restoring the roadway.
In another interview with CBS2, Papadopoulus gave an equally philosophical reaction.
"I’m alright, I’m alright," he said. "Lose the van. Lose the van. It’s life."
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The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Manhattan, the Bronx, Yonkers and New Rochelle on Monday 18 July, urging residents to seek higher ground.
It later said more than two inches of rain fell in the Bronx overnight on Monday, while in Manhattan, three inches were recorded.
Adverse weather was initially ruled out as the reason for the Bronx sinkhole, but New York’s environmental department has now said it is considering all possible explanations and that heavy rainfall may well have been a factor.
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Speaking to The New York Times, spokesman Edward Timbers said: “The investigation into the root cause of the roadway collapse is ongoing. The weather certainly could have played a part of it.”
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Jess Hardiman