Last night, Rescue helicopter landing in PS 32 Schoolyard

Car Plunges Into Gowanus: Police Helicopter

Video taken by a friend's teenage son.

Well, due to too much wine with the neighbors I missed all the excitement last night and slept through the whole thing. According to the boys a car went into the canal at Degraw around 1:00 AM. I wouldn't believe them but they have a picture of the helicopter that landed in PS 32. They said a man escaped but 2 kids were still missing. I am not sure how accurate their reporting is.

There is a car in the canal at Bond st. On my roof last night late lots of fire.cops and helicopters about 1 am or i would have called you. Police thought it crashed through barrier but not sure no evidence of that supposedly. But is is half submerged. Police divers boats all in the canal underwater lights the works. A big scene very weird to have happen now with all the attention. Cops told me not sure how it got there not sure how the call came in but it was there right in the middle, trunk popped open. Very surreal scene. When i left they were still not saying if anyone was inside. doing this remote a bit of a pain so that is all for now.

Car Drives Into Gowanus Canal: More Photos

Car Plunged Into The Gowanus Canal...in 1921

http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/slideshows/gowanus_canal/lg_img/1950.jpg

Your blog is a great example of how blogs complements "mainstream media". It is news and it is personal.

Thanks for letting me join you on your front stoop.

Hi Chicken,
Were you at the blogfest?
I agree with you. Neighborhood bloggers sure know about their turf and know who to talk to to get the local point of view.

But I couldn't do it without my incredible readers who email me the moment something happens in the immediate area.

1010 wins has a brief article. The two first responders were firefighters who jumped into the canal. They are true heros. The driver told them two children were in the car and the firefighters spent twenty minutes in the canal without protective gear searching for the children. Then the driver admitted there weren't any kids in the car. Unbelievable. I would have tossed the driver back into the canal and made sure he swallowed some water.

Cynthia

Thanks, I've been trying to find out what happened!
I cannot believe that someone plunged into that canal and lived to tell the story.

I live near the canal on Degraw. Daughter watched last night. Guy was past loaded, tore off the neck brace at one point. Today the rumor is he tried to jump the canal. The guy should be sent to Bellview in that case? It looks like he actually went in from the Nivens side of Degraw not the Bond side though he was rescued from the Bond side.

Well, we will see what happens to them in the weeks to come. It depends on how much water they ingested.

I was there the night it happened... here are some images:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethanf/sets/72157617815668155/

Hi Ethan,

Super photos. Thanks for pointing them out. I just posted them here:

http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2009/05/car-drives-into-gowansu-canal-more.html

Yeah, thanks everyone for the local news! I live on Livingston btw Bond and Nevins, microblogging rules.

It should be a crime to lie to a firefighter that there were children in the car, and then it turns out there were not. That driver was a real jerk. I feel really sorry for the firefighters that they had to spent 20 minutes in the canal water without protective gear - for nothing!

I've been looking all over the place for something on this event. Thanks!

So there really aren't kids inside the car? That driver should get his head checked. All that effort for nothing.

No, no kids in the car.

I feel bad for the fireman who jumped in without protective gear to look for them.

I posted some images of a helicopter from a distance, which I assume was putting light on the accident site. I did not get my camera until after the low-flying one took off.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98413170@N00/3530218540/in/set-72157618116284936/

Cool shot. Thanks for sending the link, Eric