U.S. Army Corps Excavator Stuck In Sand At Union Beach

UNION BEACH, NJ ? A piece of heavy machinery owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fell into a sinkhole on the beach in Union Beach, and has been stuck in the hole for several days now.

According to witnesses on the beach, the excavator fell into the sinkhole last week and has been stuck there for at least six days now.

These photos were captured by a local photographer, Stan Berger of StansPhotos.com. Union Beach Police confirmed the excavator has been stuck in the sand, but they referred any more questions about the incident to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been trying to remove the excavator.

"The contractor has been trying to free the excavator for the last five days, which at one point was buried up to its doors," said Berger. "You can see in the photo how they tried to control the erosion of the peninsula by placing rock and material around the edges. They were successful in digging a pit around the machine, but it is the suction of the water beneath it that is keeping it from becoming free."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been doing an ongoing beach replenishment project at Union Beach, which was one of the New Jersey towns worst hit by flooding during Superstorm Sandy.

The Army is dramatically extending the beach. At the site where the excavator fell in, they are building a brand-new peninsula into the ocean and new part of the beach. That is all new sand they are putting down, said police.