Michelle Kim

Water Erupts From Broken Water Main on Staten Island, Cracking House Windows

A high-pressure water main break on Staten Island sent water gushing high into the air and into a neighboring home, breaking at least three windows.

It's not clear what caused the main to break near Beebe Street and Mohn Place Wednesday. 

Homeowner Rhoda Scudlinsky said she was drinking her morning coffee in the sunroom when out of nowhere, water started shooting into the air. 

Several windows were cracked from the force of the water. 

"It was pounding, it was hitting the window, and I said 'the window's gonna crack,'" she said.

"It was freaky. You see it on TV in Florida, all of a sudden there is a sinkhole in the street or whatever," Scudlinsky added. "To me this is the same type of thing." 

Water gushed into her home, and her neighbor's backyard turned into a mud pit. 

Frank Russo saw the water gushing into the air and on the street: "It was very bad. I really was so concerned. I ran to the front -- the same thing, all around the house." 

"The water going down that street was unbelievable. Coming down in the back, unbelievable. Like a river," he said. 

Utility crews and firefighters spent most of the day at the site working to repair the main and investigate what caused it to break. 

Water has been shut down in the area, affecting 15 homes and five hydrants, according to DEP officials. The goal is to restore the water "soon," but they couldn't give an immediate estimate for restoration. 

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