Shopping is meant to be a pretty tranquil experience. Well, when you don't go in peak hours, I guess. Things can get pretty hectic when you go whilst everyone else is there!
But one thing you definitely don't expect is for the roof to cave in while you're looking for groceries. Well, that was unfortunately what some New Jersey customers had to experience. As reported by the New York Post, a BJ's Wholesale Club went aquatic.
A large amount of water had accumulated on top of the Ocean Township store, causing it to cave in. Footage shared on social media showed the wild incident as it played out.
A video surveillance camera shows a man walking through the bakery section of the store. As he was walking, the camera physically shakes, with the displays above the products collapsing first.
A torrent of water flows downward, pushing the groceries (and the shoppers) away as it went. The scene almost looks like something out of an apocalypse movie.
The man who was browsing the bakery section was fine, by the way. The video shows he was just out of the area that got directly hit by the water - he wasn't harmed. If he was just a few feet closer, though...
Videos by Wide Open Country
Police Explained the Shoppers Were Fine
Attending police from New Jersey's Monmouth County Sheriff's Office released a
statement after the wild incident."At approximately 11:16am, emergency personnel were dispatched to BJs following reports of a partial roof collapse." They said that 27 people were in the store.
Two people ended up being "partially entrapped, but were able to free themselves and safely exit the structure."
They went on to explain that the response efforts were coordinated between "local, county, and regional emergency agencies", several of whom are still on the scene.
The Police Chief of Ocean Township, Michael Sorrentino, also released a statement warning people of severe weather.
"This incident is another reminder of how quickly severe weather can create dangerous and unpredictable conditions. We commend all first responders who worked with urgency under challenging circumstances. Despite the ongoing flooding and severe weatehr affecting our communities, all worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone was safely accounted for."
If nothing else, we're just glad that everyone's okay!
