MARICOPA, Ariz. – Recent monsoon floodwaters proved no match for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, whose “Ranger 1″ helicopter crew expertly extracted a family of six huddled on the roof of their SUV.
A video posted across several social media platforms by the agency captured the daring rescue as it unfolded in Maricopa one week ago.
According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, which requested the public safety assist, the crew plucked two parents and four children – the youngest of which was 11 months old – from their rooftop perches, KPNX reported.
According to KNXV-TV, the crew hovered over the group and dropped life jackets before eventually lifting all six members of the group to safety, one by one.
No injuries were reported during the rescue, the TV station confirmed.
Thunderbird Fire District Chief Allen Allcott told KPNX that the SUV’s driver incorrectly thought that they could plow through the flood.
“They make that choice that they think the vehicle they are in will be able to make it, but sometimes they are wrong,” Allcott told the TV station.
According to KPNX, the rescue was one of two executed that night as floodwaters raged across the area.
