'Miracle In Mercer:' 3 Police Officers Rescued In Ida Flash Flood

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Hopewell Township officer James Hoffman went to check in on a vehicle stuck in floodwaters on Route 518 Lambertville-Hopewell amid a major storm triggered by remnants of Tropical Storm Ida. But when he arrived near Route 31, Hoffman's patrol car started filling up with water from Stony Brook and was being swept sideways.

“Very quickly he realized he needed to get out of the car, but the door would not open due to the pressure of the water," police said.

Hoffman then removed the gear he was wearing and escaped through the window. Finding himself in deep floodwaters, Hoffman swam for 100 yards and then grabbed onto a tree. He held on to the tree while waters around him continued to rise, police said.

Meanwhile, officers Michael Makwinski and Robert Voorhees attempted to reach Hoffman but quickly found themselves in a similarly perilous position. Swept into raging waters, they had to leave their vehicle. With floodwater rising, they also found a tree and anchored themselves.

With all three officers in the water, holding on to trees for around two hours, rescue units from all over the area and the state arrived to provide aid.

As rescue teams started to zero in, the officers fired their guns to mark their location.

The three officers were rescued by the efforts of the swift water rescue teams from the Union Titusville Fire Company, the Lawrenceville Fire Company, and the Hamilton Fire Department.

Two officers were transported to the hospital, examined, and released. They were wet and exhausted, but otherwise unharmed, authorities said.

“We easily could have lost three officers last night,” Police Director Bob Karmazin said Thursday.

The New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association called the rescue “Miracle in Mercer County,” when word of the rescue began to spread.

Karmazin thanked the many search and rescue organizations who responded, and then continued on with recovery efforts.

"We would like to send a special thank you to Hamilton’s Fire Department for saving our three officers who clung for their lives during the worst part of the flooding," Hopewell Mayor Julie Blake said in a public statement.

Organizations that responded to thee rescue included Hopewell Fire and EMS, Hamilton Fire Department, Lawrenceville Fire and Police, West Windsor Police and EMS, Robbinsville Police and EMS, New Jersey Task Force 1, Camden County High Water Rescue, Mercer County Sheriff, Mercer County Rapid Response Task Force, Mercer County Prosecutors, and the NJ State Police.

Tropical storm Ida wreaked havoc across Mercer County Wednesday, with multiple roads flooded and numbers of emergency evacuations.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency across New Jersey Wednesday night as Ida spawned powerful tornadoes and significant flash flooding from south to north.

Officials have linked at least 23 New Jerseyans' deaths to Ida, as the state continues to recover from the storm. People lost homes, streets remain flooded and public transportation has been hampered. Read more: Deaths, Historic Flooding, Tornadoes: Ida's Impact On NJ

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