A bride and groom were rescued by Bogota, New Jersey, police Saturday when their wedding party got stuck in rising floodwaters, and a video of the incident went viral, according to the North Jersey Record.
The wedding party was coming from Ridgefield Park in Bogota, and a heavy storm swept through the area. A brook about 50 feet behind the intersection of River Road and Elm Avenue overflowed, trapping the wedding party, Bogota Police Sgt. Geoffrey Cole told the North Jersey Record.
"The floods came so quickly, and that area's prone to flooding," Cole told the Record.
Bogota Police Officer Michael Laferrera can be seen in a video extending his hand on top of a police vehicle with water nearly up to the headlights, and the new bride climbed out of the car through the sunroof, wedding dress and all.
"Unfortunately due to the quickly rising floodwaters, this bride, her new husband and wedding party friends, got a rough start on things," Bogota Police said in the caption of a posted video, which has received more than 153,000 views on Facebook.
"The fortunate thing, is we were able to help them through their first rough patch. Obviously their day has not gone as planned, so let's congratulate them on their wedding and give them best wishes for a lifetime of love and adventure, starting now," the caption continued.
The Bergenfield Daily Voice identified the couple as cosmetologist Sabrina Torrens, of Rutherford, New Jersey, and Connor Reilly, an electrician from Hillsdale, New Jersey. They were heading to an after-party after their reception at The Estate At Florentine Gardens in River Vale, according to the Daily Voice.
"They were shocked not just to be stuck in the water but to see us in the Humvee," Cole said, according to the Daily Voice. "We were pretty shocked to see it was a bride and her new husband and their bridal party friends."
Some in the past had criticized local police departments about purchasing surplus military vehicles like the Humvee, but it was the right vehicle for the rescue, the Daily Voice wrote.
"It just made sense," Cole said, according to the Daily Voice. "The water rose about 4 feet in less than 15 minutes."
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