New Yorkers were seen wading through high levels of floodwater in subway stations after Storm Elsa's heavy rainfall caused chaos.
Flash floods in Manhattan saw people brave "chest high"dirty water in a desperate bid to catch a subway train, per Daily Mail.
Footage shared on social media sparked serious concerns over health as locals were plunging into the contaminated water while the stations kept flooding.
Thunderstorms caused widespread flash flooding across NYC, with waist-high water deluging Washington Heights subway station and cops deployed to rescue stranded motorists.
The Bronx was also hit with torrential flooding, as one local was seen using a jet ski to cross a road under several feet of floodwater.
The city's emergency management division issued a flash flood warning for Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx from Thursday afternoon into the evening, warning that "heavy rainfall will cause flooding of highways and streets."
NYPD added that "slippery conditions are possible," advising locals to "use caution when driving, walking or biking."
Elsewhere, New Yorkers were forced to leave their stranded cars on flooded streets.
The NYPD Special Operations' Disorder Control Unit responded to the situation, and "with a little ingenuity, officers used a barrier truck & safely removed over a dozen people from their stalled vehicles," police said on Twitter, sharing photos from the scene.
NYPD then tweeted: "Due to flooding, expect delays in all major crossings and road closures. Stay off the roads and use public transportation if possible."
Some subway stations, however, were severely flooded as people took drastic measures to board trains.
One video that went viral on Twitter showed people wading through dirty water trying to get through turnstiles and into the station, the water reaching their waist.
The user who tweeted the footage said it was the 157th Street station for the 1 train. As of Friday morning, no stations were flooded, MTA spokesperson Renee Price told CNN.
In addition to rainfall and high winds, "a tornado or two will be possible through the early afternoon for parts of Long Island and southeastern New England," per National Hurricane Center.
Interim President of New York City Transit Sarah Feinberg tweeted Thursday night: "Drains are working remarkably well, and NYCT crews are, as always, working hard and fast and doing great work. Give them room to work and be safe. Water is receding. Stay alert for additional storms. Working as quickly as we can to get everyone where they're going."
Meanwhile, Eric Adams, who won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary earlier this week, re-shared the video of the flooded subway station on Twitter, writing: "This is what happens when the MTA makes bad spending decisions for decades.
"We need congestion pricing $ ASAP to protect stations from street flooding, elevate entrances and add green infrastructure to absorb flash storm runoff. This cannot be New York."
