Distressing video footage showed the moment floodwater rushed into an elevator in an oceanfront condo building while a family with a young child were trapped inside.
The harrowing incident occurred over the weekend as heavy rain fell across South Florida, causing disastrous flooding across Miami Beach.
Rick Sardana, his neighbor Bruno Barros, his four-year-old daughter Jordana, and an unnamed woman got caught in the elevator that suddenly filled up with floodwater in the Vendome Place condominium building.
The two men were seen talking just before rushing water seeped into the elevator, causing everyone inside to panic.
‘The elevator shook and then froze, and water started to seep in, and water was also coming from the top,’ Sardana told NBC6.
After watching the water flow into the elevator for a moment, Barros picked up his young daughter while Sardana pressed buttons to help them escape.
Sardana, who’s lived in the building for seven years, then took it upon himself to try and pry the heavy elevator door open to get Barros, his daughter and the woman out safely.
‘I was like, OK, maybe today’s the day. That’s what I thought because I thought that if Rick would open the elevator, I thought maybe it would be like a wall,’ Barros told the outlet.
Footage showed the moment floodwater quickly started to fill an elevator inside the Vendome Place condominium building in Miami Beach, Florida over the weekend
The harrowing incident took place as heavy rain fell across South Florida, causing disastrous flooding across Miami Beach. (Pictured: Surging water seen making its way toward the building)
The astonishing moment began with the door closing behind Barros after he and his daughter stepped into the elevator.
Sardana and Barros were seen talking for a moment just before the camera jolted as the elevator shook.
All four of them then looked at the metal door as water crept through its cracks.
Barros then picked up his daughter as water quickly started to cover their feet.
The frantic father placed his hand while Sardana started to press buttons inside.
Sardana then rushed to use his fingertips to manually open the door.
The surveillance footage ended as all four of them made their way out of the elevator, stepping into waist-deep water.
‘I somehow put my fingers into the elevator, it took me a couple of times and, God knows how we managed to get the elevator door open, we came out onto the car park floor and the water was waist or a little bit higher level and we just walked through,’ Sardana told WSVN.
Barros said his neighbor went into ‘superhero mode’ trying to save them all.
Thankfully, all four occupants were able to escape after Sardana pried the heavy metal door open with his fingers
Nearly all of the cars in the condo’s indoor parking garage were ruined after the high water (pictured) got to them
‘She [Jordana] said that I was her superhero, but Rick was our superhero. God gave him so much power in that moment,’ he told the outlet.
After they got out, Sardana said an employee who works at the condo building said it took just eight minutes for the floodwater to take over.
Nearly all of the cars in the condo’s indoor parking garage were ruined after the high water got to them.
Sardana’s sports car ended up being a total loss from the aftermath of the heavy rain, but he’s just happy he and his neighbors are OK.
It took about 24 hours for all of the floodwater to drain out of the building, but Sardana has opted to take the stairs up to his 10th-floor unit ever since.
‘I’m not even uncomfortable in there [the elevator], it brings back bad memories,’ he said.
He also warned condo residents to avoid taking elevators during bad weather events or building emergencies.
‘Never take the elevator when there is flooding or fire, that’s kind of my big lesson,’ he told NBC6.
