New York, NY – Just days after Texas battled devastating floods, a new storm system drenched the Northeast on Monday night, bringing flash floods that paralysed New York City’s transit system and left parts of New Jersey submerged, claiming at least two lives.
Subway Station Floods Spark Panic in NYC
Dramatic footage from 28th Street Station in Manhattan showed water gushing onto the platform while passengers watched helplessly from inside subway cars. Some commuters stood on seats as water crept into train cabins.
A now-viral video on X captured the moment, with the caption:
“IMAGINE BEING TRAPPED ON A SUBWAY… THEN WATCHING THE STATION START TO FLOOD 28th Street, NYC, water pouring in from every angle, turning the platform into a swamp. This isn’t a leak. It’s a full-on flood.”
🚨 Flash flooding is hitting the 28th Street subway station on the 1 train.
Passengers are trapped as water pours into platforms and tunnels.
In neighboring New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency after floodwaters closed roads and submerged vehicles across multiple counties. The city of Plainfield witnessed tragedy as two people died after their car was swept into Cedar Brook during a flash flood, The Guardian reported.
Flooding yesterday on July 14th, in New York and New Jersey, due to heavy rains from a slow moving cold front….. video by Interceptor. pic.twitter.com/3kfegtaxUr
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) suspended and delayed multiple subway lines due to flooding in underground tunnels. Commuter services like Metro-North were also disrupted—particularly on the Harlem Line and New Haven Line.
Speaking to ABC 7, MTA CEO Janno Lieber explained the cause:
“New York’s sewer system got overwhelmed by the rain and backed up into the subway tunnels and stations. It’s a reality in our system when rainfall exceeds 1.75 inches per hour.”
Despite the chaos, Lieber confirmed that full subway, Long Island Railroad, and Metro-North services had resumed after intensive overnight repair efforts.
Calls for Infrastructure Upgrades
Lieber emphasized the need for collaboration with city officials:
“We’ve been working with the city of New York to try to get them to increase the capacity of the [sewer] system at these key locations.”
The incident has reignited discussions about the city’s outdated drainage and transit infrastructure, especially in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
