Water Main Break Floods LIC Streets, Traps People In Cars

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A water main break flooded the streets outside NYCHA's Queensbridge Houses early Thursday, trapping people inside submerged cars along Vernon Boulevard and leaving some public-housing residents without water access, according to city officials and social media videos.

Water poured into the street about 3:30 a.m., after a water main ruptured at 41-14 Vernon Blvd., according to officials with the FDNY and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.

The Fire Department rescued several people from their cars, as water rose as high as the door handles, according to a spokesperson and videos posted to the Citizen app.

A Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson said crews shut off water service to some Queensbridge residents to stop the leak and allow for repairs.

We're on the scene of this morning's water main break outside the Queensbridge Houses.

Thank you to DEP and other city agencies here trying to rectify the situation as quickly as possible — now let's invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure for all our #Queens communities. pic.twitter.com/eQGRLFnjF4
— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) January 28, 2021

Repairs were done by Thursday night and water service was fully restored, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

This story has been updated.