Man Rescued from Water Pipe in New Jersey

MANALAPAN TOWNSHIP – Firefighters and rescue technicians have freed a man who was trapped in a 20-inch pipe at a United Water facility in Manalapan.

Authorities identified the man as 26-year-old township resident Asaf Mohammed.

A United Water spokesperson says workers heard cries for help coming from a pipe inside the treatment facility at around 7 a.m. today. It’s believed that Mohammed jumped a fence into the property on Conner Road and climbed into the pipe, although it’s unclear why.

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Officials said sections of the pipe were removed and heat was pumped in.

“It was very difficult in the beginning because we had no idea how far along he was,” Manalapan Assistant Fire Chief Ken Genieczko says. “We had scopes, cameras going into the pipe to see where he was, we had communication with him, so we had an idea of his condition.”

After maneuvering past two 9-degree bends, Mohammed was finally freed from the pipe at around 11 a.m. He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he’s in fair condition.

The incident did not affect water quality or supply, according to the utility company.

Two specialized technical search and rescue teams were called to help at the scene, including New Jersey Task Force 1 and Middlesex County Urban Search and Rescue. Firefighters from Manalapan and Monroe Township were also on the scene.

Mohammed was arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal trespass, but officials say he could also be required to repay the cost of the rescue.

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Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.

Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.

He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.

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