2 People Rescued After Car Goes Into Broad Channel In Island Park

ISLAND PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Two people were rescued Saturday night after their car went into the Broad Channel in Island Park.

Nassau County Police told CBS2 in a statement the 2002 Audi was submerged in water six-feet deep, and about 50 feet from the bulkhead, after striking a utility pole on Block Lane around 9:55 p.m.

According to police, the vehicle also struck shrubbery and drove through a fence in between two homes before going into the water.

The 24-year-old male driver managed to crawl out and was on top of the vehicle, as the 28-year-old passenger was stuck inside with multiple fractures to his leg, WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini reported. 

Police officers used a 20-foot ladder to lay onto the vehicles' trunk and floating dock to get to the victims.

Officer Ahmad Kessba pulled the driver onto the ladder and got him to land. Kessba and an Island Park firefighter then held the passenger's head above water so he would not drown.

The firefighter swam to the injured passenger, helped remove him and then swam back to the dock.

A man who lives inside one of the homes said he was inside with his family when the car came crashing through his yard believes the car went airborne. He told CBS2 what he believes happened.

"It's four feet off the ground so he's flying through the air, jumps my gate, my neighbor's gate, now about two-three feet you can see he's coming down still breaking off the concrete post... I'm assuming he was in the center because there's just about the same amount of fence taken out of my neighbor's and my yard and he lands on the corner of that dock about thirty-five feet out," he told CBS2's Ali Bauman.

He said the neighborhood and his street in particular are very popular for drag racing.

Both the driver and passenger were taken to a local hospital. The vehicle was still in the water as of Sunday evening.

Police don't believe any criminal acts occurred in the crash.