Bridgewater Cop Rescues Dog Trapped In Raritan River

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A dog who went for a swim in the Raritan River is one lucky pup after he got stuck in a drain and was rescued from drowning by Bridgewater Police Officer Colin Outerbridge.

Last Thursday at around 1:45 p.m. the owner who was standing on the Franklin Township side of the Raritan River called 911. The owner said his brown Labrador was swimming in the river when it got pulled into the intake for the NJ American Water treatment plant, according to Outerbridge.

The dog was seen going into the cement-like tunnel but never came back out, Outerbridge said.

Franklin Police called Bridgewater since the drain was on the Finderne side of the river.

Outerbridge met with an employee of NJ American Water who took him to a sewer grate. The two pulled the grate off and saw the dog about 6 feet down stuck against a screen, that is used to stop debris from coming through.

Outerbridge said he could hear the dog crying and laid down on the ground. He was able to grab one of the dogs legs and pulled him up to safety.

"The dog didn't have any serious injuries but his back paws were bleeding from the metal screen he was trying to hang onto," Outerbridge said.

The dog also seemed a little tired as well as Outerbridge said it took about 10 minutes or so to get the dog out from when the initial call was made. The dog had been swimming and trying to stay above the water the whole time.

After the dog was freed the owner used a whistle to call the dog, who then immediately jumped back into the water and swam back to the other side of the river.

"It was pretty cool," Outerbridge said of saving the dog. "I think everybody feels the same about dogs, they always show unconditional love and are always happy. It's just as bad as seeing a person in a situation like that. It felt good to be able to help him."

Outerbridge also credited the NJ American Water employee, who he didn't know his name.

"Without him I wouldn't have been able to get the metal grate open or gotten back there in the first place," Outerbridge said.

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