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Father, son get stuck in Tijuana River Valley flood, prompting rescue

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Posted at 10:15 AM, Nov 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-22 13:27:56-05

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A father and son heading to see the border wall became stuck in a flooded stretch of the Tijuana River Valley Thursday.

Two men from Idaho and North Dakota told 10News, they were on a father-son vacation in San Diego.

They said they came down to the Tijuana River Valley to see the border wall with their own eyes.

But the out-of-towners did not know about the notorious dip in Saturn Boulevard.

According to San Diego Fire-Rescue, the men ignored road closure signs in the flooded area, and drove through the water.

Their truck made it halfway across before it got stuck in five feet of water.

After the water reached the truck’s window, the 75-year-old father — who was the driver — climbed out and waited on his roof for help to arrive. The 49-year-old son was able to swim to safety.

RELATED: How to check if your neighborhood is at risk of flooding

Lifeguards used a boat to paddle out to the man, who got on board and returned to dry land.

No injuries were reported. Rescuers were required to go through a multi-step decontamination process after wading into the potentially polluted water.

The truck will remain in the water until the flooding has receded, officials told 10News.