NEW CANAAN, Conn. — Temperatures are rising nationwide, but this is not the way to cool off in your vehicle.
A motorist attempting to park his Tesla on Tuesday accidentally drove the vehicle into a public pool in Connecticut, officials said.
Officials in New Canaan said the man was trying to park near Waveny Park at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET, WFSB reported.
However, the motorist accidentally stepped on the gas and the car accelerated, traveling between trees, through a fence and finally into Steve Benko Pool, News12 Connecticut reported.
The pool was not open at the time. First responders and several lifeguards entered the pool to assist the driver, WTNH reported. He was the only person in the vehicle.
“My coworkers and I were setting up the food court umbrellas, and all of a sudden we hear this loud crash,” lifeguard Mike D’Urso said. “We turned around, and there’s just a Tesla sitting in the middle of our pool.”
There were no injuries.
D’Urso, 18, said he remained calm despite the unusual circumstance.
“My main concern was that the water level would rise above his head, so we had to get him out before that happened,” he told News12 Connecticut.
When police arrived, D’Urso helped them break a window to reach the motorist, who was removed on a backboard as a precaution.
A rotator tow truck retrieved the Tesla from the water.
New Canaan Parks and Recreation director John Howe said that because windows were broken during the rescue, the community pool would be drained and closed for several days, News12 Connecticut reported.
“A car in the pool definitely takes the cake,” Howe told the television station. “I’ve never seen anything like this here in the town.”
D’Urso and his fellow lifeguards are amused by their sudden fame.
“I’ve gotten a lot of calls from my grandparents, I can tell you that,” he told News12 Connecticut. “They’re calling me a hero.”
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