Service restored after Brooklyn water main break impacts several buildings

NEW YORK -- Water service was restored Monday afternoon in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, hours after an early morning water main break.

But while the water returned, the headaches weren't over.

The Department of Environmental Conservation said the break was discovered at around 4 a.m. at the corner of Cropsey Avenue and Bay 37th Street. Dramatic pictures show just how bad the flooding got overnight.

Chopper 2 captured images of a large-scale sinkhole, which left the entire street flooded and even swallowed Vincenza Maligieri's car, which had to be pulled out of the ground.

"We ran out with my keys thinking I could pull out my car. I'm a school aide, so thank God my principal understood I couldn't go. It's the third day of school and I had to call out," Maglieri said.

While water service was restored, things were not fully back to normal along Bay 37th Street. The DEP said complete repairs will take a few days.

Several buildings were impacted

Water was shut off in the area impacting three apartment buildings and multiple homes, according to the DEP.

Residents were hard at work filling up whatever they could find, including buckets and big bowls, from Water On the Go fountains provided by the city, after their supply was shut off for several hours.

"It's a little tenuous, but this is what they did for us," one resident said.