Bridesburg sinkhole swallows two vehicles

"It felt like an earthquake," said Corine Williams, sitting yesterday on her front steps wrapped in an Eagles blanket, staring at the giant sinkhole in front of her Bridesburg home.

When Williams came to her door about 10 Thursday night to look for the source of the clamor, she saw a Water Department truck stuck inside the sinkhole, along with a parked car. The truck was responding to reports of water problems when it sank while backing up, taking the parked car along for the ride.

Earlier Thursday afternoon, several neighbors in the 2700 block of Croyden Street noticed water flowing into their basements, and made repeated calls to the Water Department.

"It was raining mud in my basement," said Williams, 24.

In time, what some called a fist-size hole in the street expanded into a gaping canyon, roughly 20 feet wide and 6 feet deep.

It is the third sinkhole his block has suffered in his 14 years there, said Robert Thomas, 55. "These streets are undermined," said Thomas, citing the nearby Frankford Creek. "Any time the water comes through, this happens. These streets have been sinking for years."

As Water Department crews worked to repair the broken 6-inch main yesterday afternoon, mud from melting ice flowed along the narrow street of tidy rowhouses.

The cause of the break, which left some residents without water for 12 hours, has not been determined, Water Department spokeswoman Laura Copeland said yesterday. She said 50 percent of water-main breaks occur in winter.

"It's probably going to break again," predicted resident Ernie Tedesco, noting various parts of the street that have sunk in over the years.

Once again, Williams said, neighbors came together, helping each other pump out their muddy, water-logged basements.

Williams said she has cracks along her basement floor.

So does Thomas.

"I want my foundation checked by the city," Thomas said. "If there's problems with my foundation, they caused it."