Bystander Rescues Woman In Nutley After She Drives Into Passaic River: Police

Nutley, NJ – Quick action from a brave bystander helped to save the life of a woman who drove her car into the Passaic River on Tuesday morning, authorities say.

The Good Samaritan told police that as he was standing in a shopping center parking lot on the Lyndhurst side of the river, he saw the woman drive her SUV into the water on the Nutley side, North Jersey.com reported.

He had already pulled the woman from the sinking car when first responders arrived on the scene, the report stated.

"That car fills up quick, that couple of minutes of help before the car went under was heroic," Nutley Police Chief Thomas Strumolo told NorthJersey.com. "It definitely saved her life."

It's not clear what caused the woman to drive into the river, Strumolo said.

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File Photo: View looking north on the Passaic River from the bow of a boat floating between Clifton (Passaic County) and Elmwood Park, Wikimedia Commons