Ohio teen travels quarter of a mile through sewer

Ohio teen travels quarter of a mile through sewer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A 14-year-old boy says he's thankful to be alive after an overflowing creek in a Cleveland suburb forced him to travel a quarter of a mile through multiple sewer pipes.

Jeffrey LaPorta of Parma was completely submerged in water at times and gasping for air before he found enough breathing room to await rescue.

The teen said in an interview on Friday that the experience was like a 20 mph waterslide.

Jeffrey was riding his bike Tuesday through puddles created by the creek. He then fell into the rising water and was sucked into a drain pipe.

Firefighters opened at least six manhole covers downstream before they found him. He was pulled to safety and taken to a hospital, where he received six stitches on his elbow and was released.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

An overflowing creek in a Cleveland suburb sent a 14-year-old boy on the ride of his life this week.

Jeffrey LaPorta traveled more than a quarter of a mile through multiple storm sewer pipes, at times completely submerged water, before finding enough breathing room to await rescue. He was eventually pulled out of the sewer in less than an hour, with only scrapes and bruises.

The teen was riding his bike with a friend on Tuesday through puddles created by the rising creek, which flows near a strip mall parking lot in Parma. He fell into the overflowing water just off the edge of the parking lot and was forced into a drain pipe - roughly 2 feet in diameter, authorities said.

"The water was moving so quickly it sucked him into the drain," said Doug Turner, a spokesman for the Parma Fire Department. "It sucked him in and pulled him probably 100 yards, full of water, where he couldn't take his breath."

The pipe carried Jeffrey underneath the parking lot and into the suburb's storm sewer. He was then shifted into pipes that grew increasingly larger, Turner said. "Now the same amount of water is flowing through there with a little bit bigger of an opening, so his head actually bobs above water a couple times."

The pipes sent Jeffrey under four lanes of traffic, placing him across the street from where he was riding his bike.

At some point, the water became waist-deep, Turner said.

"He's able to grab ahold of something and stop and wedge himself in there," Turner said. "But he's traveled about 1,500 feet from where he initially started."

Jeffrey's friend, Miguel Torres, said he didn't see Jeffrey fall into the water because had his back turned. He turned around and noticed his bike in the creek.

"I heard a splash," Miguel, 13, said in an interview. "I ran over to the creek and started looking for him. ... At first I just thought he was stuck underwater or something. I didn't really think about."

Miguel then got the attention of a city worker, who had just arrived at the parking lot to check out the flooding. The worker contacted authorities, and firefighters from a station across the street from the parking lot headed to the scene.

"I didn't know what to do at first," Miguel said. "If that city official didn't drive by, I don't know what I would have done."

Responders teamed up the city worker and others who had knowledge of the sewer system. Firefighters then began searching for the boy downstream, uncovering at least six manholes and calling out Jeffrey's name before they heard him respond.

"One of the firefighters climbed down into the manhole, started flashing the light around and could see the kid, but he was quite a bit away," Turner said. "He just said, `Hold on, we're coming to get you.'"

Jeffrey was pulled to safety and taken to a hospital, where he received six stitches on his elbow, Turner said. He was released that evening.

The teen was out of the sewer 43 minutes after authorities got the call - and 20 minutes of that time, they knew he was safe.

"It's a miracle that the kid was even alive, let alone hardly hurt at all," Turner said.

Multiple messages left at Jeffrey's home were not returned. But the teen described his ride to ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday.

"It was dark, it was scary, it was nasty," Jeffrey said. "It was like somebody is putting you in a big whirlpool and spinning you around and getting your head knocked on the ground."

He said after he had enough room, he took a deep breath and was determined not to give up. He was relieved when he saw the firefighter's flashlight.

"In my head I'm like, `Thank you, Lord.' I was praying," Jeffrey said. "I'm a little bruised up, but I'm lucky to be alive."