The walloping rain storm that drenched and flooded chunks of central New York on Saturday had some trapped inside their vehicles on the arterial.

WIBX spoke to Shaun Brennan of New Hartford who was among those who had to be rescued by the Utica Police and Fire crews as his vehicle became nearly submerged by water as he traveled through Utica on the arterial.

''[The water] rose from basically nothing to about 4-feet in a matter of two minutes'', Brenna told WIBX, also saying he believed the concrete barriers along the still-under-construction North-South Arterial in Utica created a 'dam' effect, preventing water from draining.

Brennan, who was traveling with his wife and three children, said as traffic slowed he visibly noticed the water levels rising before being 'pushed' into that traffic by a wave of water.

''My wife jumped out - the water was up to her chest - and I had to pass the kids to her out the window,'' he said.

Brennan, who said he'd just undergone surgery this week, needed assistance from Utica Fire Fighters and a ladder to get out of his vehicle.

''Everyone's ok,'' he said, adding his that his vehicle was totaled by the water damage.

Brennan also took to Facebook to share a message of gratitude to all those who helped get his family out safely:

Had an exciting morning. I wanted to thank some awesome people that we do not know that came to our rescue. These people watched our kids, bought ice cream and were outstanding people that we need more of in this world. Thanks again to those people in that picture. You are AWESOME.

Original VIDEO

More From WIBX 950