A massive sinkhole opened up on 79th Street in Bay Ridge on Wednesday evening — creating a 20-foot wide chasm that nearly swallowed a car whole.
Residents living between Fourth and Fifth avenues said the street caved in shortly after 4:30 pm.
No one was injured, but a silver four-door sedan that owner Maddie Flood said she had just parked was left teetering on the edge of the opening.
“We’re so blessed,” Flood told 1010 WINS. “If we were five minutes later or anything, we could have been in the hole.”
Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) told his Facebook followers that the sinkhole was formed by a ruptured sewer line.
“This particular sewer line is 100 plus-years-old and runs 20 feet below ground,” Gentile said. “Residents on the block reported that National Grid had been working on the block in recent weeks, but the Department of Environmental Protection said that work had nothing to do with this collapse.”
No one was injured or evacuated and no homes were left without water or power, said Gentile, who added that it may take several days to repair the damage and open the street up to traffic again.
This is the second time in as many months that a Bay Ridge street has collapsed in on itself. A 50-foot deep sinkhole opened up on 92nd Street near Third Avenue on June 29. Eleven families were evacuated from a nearby apartment building as a result.
Check back with Brooklyn Daily later today for more news and pictures.
Reach Deputy Editor Thomas Tracy at ttracy@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2525.
