---
title: "Flash Flood Carries 16 Brand New Jeeps and Rams Off Dealership Lot in New Jersey"
description: "People go to creative lengths to steal from car dealerships, but Mother Nature once again reminded everyone who's boss this weekend when a flash flood swept through a Dodge, Jeep, and Ram dealer lot in northern New Jersey, carrying off at least sixteen new vehicles and sending them bobbing down an adjacent river."
date: "2018-08-13"
modified: "2018-08-14"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/22845/flash-flood-carries-sixteen-brand-new-jeeps-and-rams-off-dealership-lot-in-new-jersey"
categories:
  - "Jeep News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "RAM News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "car dealers"
  - "dealerships"
  - "Fiat Chrysler"
  - "flood"
  - "flood cars"
  - "Jeep"
  - "New Jersey"
---

# Flash Flood Carries 16 Brand New Jeeps and Rams Off Dealership Lot in New Jersey

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/08/jeep-dealer-flood.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

People go to creative lengths to [steal from car dealerships,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/16888/thieves-attempt-smash-and-grab-burglary-of-porsche-dealership-damage-210000-911-turbo>) but Mother Nature once again reminded everyone who's boss this weekend when a flash flood swept through a Dodge, Jeep, and Ram dealer lot in northern New Jersey, carrying off at least sixteen new vehicles and sending them bobbing down an adjacent river.

[*NJ.com* reports](<https://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2018/08/dealerships_cars_swept_away_like_bumper_boats_in_f.html>) that a spate of strong storms on Saturday evening dumped around five inches of rain on the region surrounding Little Falls, a small town about 45 minutes west of New York City. The intense downpour caused the normally-small Peckman River to flood, quickly transforming it into a raging torrent with a strong appetite for [Fiat-Chrysler](<https://www.thedrive.com/opinion/22462/sergio-marchionnes-record-as-fiat-chrysler-ceo-was-in-fact-decidedly-mixed>) products.

https://youtube.com/embed/IzoaXclhnZs

The lot surrounding Route 46 Chrysler Jeep Dodge reaches the riverbank, and Google Earth images show what in hindsight appear to be a dangerous amount of stock parked three and four deep just feet from the water's edge. As the floodwaters spilled into the lot, they picked up at least sixteen of them and swept them back into the river, where most ended up smashed together against a low bridge.

![message-editor%2F1534204933409-screenshot2018-08-13at4.56.00pmcopy.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1534204933409-screenshot2018-08-13at4.56.00pmcopy.jpg>)
**Google Earth**

Video of the slow-motion disaster taken from the bridge shows the several Jeep Compasses, a Jeep Renegade, and at least one single cab Ram 1500 caught up in the crunching churn, with more models seen in the distance floating toward the camera like unwitting whitewater rafters. Most still have their window stickers and protective plastic film in place.

https://youtube.com/embed/w4YylwI-Zdw

A local *ABC* reporter posted a picture of a smashed SUV that managed to pass under the bridge and float even further down the river. It's almost impossible to say with certainty what it is—maybe a Jeep Grand Cherokee—but its utterly destroyed condition demonstrates the sheer force of the flood. A towing service operator [told *ABC7*](<https://abc7ny.com/weather/watch-cars-swept-away-by-floodwaters-at-nj-car-dealership/3934917/>) that sixteen trucks and SUVs had to be pulled out of the river, and that they were all "filled with mud, rocks and whatever you can flush into a car. It's there." The dealership was also damaged in the flood, and though it posted on Facebook that it intended to open for business on Monday, a call for comment was not answered.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1028480165020659713

Route 46 Chrysler Jeep Dodge wasn't the only business victimized in the area, with floodwaters filling strip mall parking lots in the area and sinking dozens of customers' cars. Hopefully the dealership can get a little business from those [insurance checks.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/13961/hurricane-harvey-may-have-destroyed-half-a-million-cars-and-trucks-in-texas>)

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)