New video shows the moment a New Jersey home exploded because of an apparent gas leak hours after the family who lived there evacuated during flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
The shocking video was captured on a Ring camera nearby and shows the home on River Road in Rahway, a town 26 miles southwest of New York City, erupt as it was shredded to rubble early Thursday morning.
Mitesh Patel said he and his wife Nirali Patel had ‘thankfully’ made it out of the house with their one-month old daughter and dog, in a post made to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up to help the family recover from the loss of their home.
‘I’m just more happy that my wife’s OK, our newborn’s OK. They’re considering it a total loss. It’s going to take a time, so we’re just trying to figure out where we’re going to be staying, where to pick up the pieces,’ Patel told WABC on Thursday.
New video shows the moment a New Jersey home exploded because of an apparent gas leak hours after the family who lived there evacuated
The shocking video was captured on a Ring camera nearby and shows the home on River Road in Rahway, a town 26 miles southwest of New York City, erupt as it was shredded to rubble early Thursday morning
Cars and trucks are seen driving past as the home erupts in flames from an apparent gas leak
A man driving past the home at the time it exploded suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital
Mitesh Patel said he and his wife Nirali Patel had ‘thankfully’ made it out of the house with their one-month old daughter and dog
Nirali Patel told the outlet that the young family had started their lives together in Rahway just three years ago after buying the home the same year they got married
Mitesh Patel has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser set up to help the family recover from the loss of their home
Nirali Patel told the outlet that the young family had started their lives together in Rahway just three years ago after buying the home the same year they got married.
‘In three years, all our stuff is gone,’ she said. ‘I left at midnight with my baby girl, and my parents thankfully were there to help me. My car fully flooded now, have to get it towed out.’
The Patels were forced to flee by 1 a.m. just hours before the home allegedly exploded around 5:45 a.m. Police said gas had flooded the home, which was smelled by neighbors, just before the explosion – which was so severe that it caused damage to neighboring properties.
A man driving past the home at the time it exploded suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.
Dramatic aerial photos taken by WABC after daylight show the residence reduced to a pile of rubble. Clean-up crews are currently on the scene working to clear debris.
The Patels said their vehicle was also flooded, with the young family losing nearly everything
A New Jersey home has exploded shortly being evacuated due to severe flooding brought on by Hurricane Ida
The home is pictured prior to its explosion, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning after its occupants were evacuated
Dramatic aerial photos taken by ABC7 after daylight show the residence reduced to a pile of rubble
Clean-up crews are currently on the scene working to clear debris
A man driving past the home at the time it exploded suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. The damage is seen in daylight on Thursday
The explosion was so severe that it caused damage to neighboring properties (pictured)
Other homes across New Jersey have also been destroyed by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which battered the Garden State on Wednesday night.
In Mullica Hill, almost 100 miles south of Rahway, several homes were hit by a tornado which formed due to Ida’s catastrophic conditions.
Gov. Phil Murphy visited Mullica Hill on Thursday morning, saying that Jersey had witnessed an ‘extraordinary, sadly tragic, historic 24 hours’.
In the Garden State, ten people died after the tail-end of Ida crept up on the tri-state area Wednesday night. Five were swept away in cars that became submerged in the water and five died in an apartment complex in Elizabeth.
Other homes across New Jersey have also been destroyed by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which battered the Garden State on Wednesday night
One home was completely flattened by a tornado which formed due to remnants of Hurricane Ida
In Mullica Hill, almost 100 miles south of Rahway, several homes were hit by a tornado which formed due to Ida’s catastrophic conditions
Multiple homes are destroyed after a Tornado hit Mullica Hill, New Jersey, yesterday. September 02 2021
Mullica Hill residents are seen consoling on Thursday morning after the Hurricane caused extensive damage to their homes
At least another 41 people died across the Northeast on Wednesday night and Thursday morning after the storm slammed the region.
Nine people were killed in New York City as water rushed into basement apartments in Brooklyn and Queens.
A two-year-old boy was among three family members who drowned after becoming trapped in their flooded basement apartment.
An 86-year-old woman also died in her home in Elmhurst, Queens after being submerged in rushing water.
In addition, nine people were killed in New York City as water rushed into basement apartments in Brooklyn and Queens.
The National Weather Service’s office in New York issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City for the first time ever – warning people to seek high ground immediately.
‘The first time we’ve issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey an hour ago,’ the agency tweeted.
By Thursday evening, there were at least 52,000 people still without power in Pennsylvania and 37,000 people without power in New Jersey, and 18,392 across New York State.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla told CNN the destruction is on par with Hurricane Irene which killed 12 New Jersey residents in 2011.
She said: ‘We experienced 6.5 inches of rain in an eight-hour period.
‘Unfortunately, the number of calls for service has been overwhelming — people with alarms activated, downed wires, abandoned vehicles.’
Daily rainfall in Central Park and Newark, New Jersey smashed records on Wednesday.
In New York’s iconic park, 7.13 inches fell, breaking the record of 3.84 inches in 1927.
Meanwhile, 8.41 inches fell in Newark, where airport operations were hampered, breaking record 1959 record of 2.22 inches.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said in a statement that all flights had been suspended and all parking lots were closed due to severe flooding.
Videos from the airport’s baggage room showed water spraying up like a geyser while workers stood in the flood waters.
Passaic, New Jersey, Mayor Hector Lora said the town saw up to 8 feet of water.