3 Cops Cling to Trees for Hours After Getting Swept Away in Storm That Killed 23 in New Jersey

Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty

Officer James Hoffman of Hopewell Township responded to a rescue call on Wednesday night, but soon found himself trapped in floodwaters, according to a post on the city’sFacebookpage.

Hoffman then traveled about 100 yards until he was able to grab ahold of a tree.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty

Two other officers, Michael Makwinski and Robert Voorhees, ventured out to rescue Hoffman, but soon found themselves also hanging onto a tree to protect themselves from the fast-moving waters.

Hoffman, Makwinski and Voorhees were rescued about two hours later, the city said in their message.

According toNJ.com, the officers fired their guns to help rescue crews track down their location.

“We owe them a debt of gratitude,” Hopewell Township Police Director Bob Karmazin told the outlet of rescue workers who arrived at the scene.

RELATED VIDEO: 2-Year-Old Boy Among 22 People Dead After Ida Batters the Northeast with Record Rain and Tornadoes

On Thursday afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said23 people in the state have died during the stormso far.

Before being downgraded to a tropical storm, Hurricane Ida touched down inLouisianaas a category 4 hurricane earlier this week.

source: people.com