Father drives his car over OPEN drawbridge to save his family in spectacular leap over six foot gap when it begins lifting under them 'as the operator is blinded by the sun'

  • New Jersey's Middle Thorofare Bridge began lifting under a car on August 1
  • The Naphys family only realized at the last second, and had to hit the gas
  • They shot six feet in the air off the ramp, but avoided landing in the water
  • The bridge lifted becasue the operator was blinded by the sun, officials said
  • He couldn't see them properly and thought they were just off the bridge
  • Nobody was directly injured but tests are ongoing; the car had $10,000 damage

By James Wilkinson For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

A family were forced to perform a terrifying car stunt better suited to an action movie than a relaxing vacation when the drawbridge they were on opened up beneath them.

The Naphys family were driving across New Jersey's Middle Thorofare Bridge, which crosses deep bay water, on August 1 when it began to lift beneath them.

At that point driver Terence Naphys did the only thing he could - he floored the gas and leaped over to the other side of the bridge.

'It's scary what's going through your mind,' Naphys told NBC 4. 'We could have all landed in the water.'

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Terrifying: A family were left terrified after they were forced to race their car off the end of this New Jersey bridge when it opened under them. The bridge (seen weeks later) was not open this wide at the time

Terrifying: A family were left terrified after they were forced to race their car off the end of this New Jersey bridge when it opened under them. The bridge (seen weeks later) was not open this wide at the time

Danger: Jacquelyn Naphys (left) only spotted the danger as they were approaching the end of the bridge
Flying: Husband Terence then pumped the gas and they flew six feet off the end

Danger: Jacquelyn Naphys (left) only spotted the danger as they were approaching the end of the bridge; husband Terence (right) then pumped the gas and they flew six feet off the end

Terence was traveling with his wife Jacquelyn, their 16-year-old daughter Kaity, and her friend, who is also 16.

It was Jacquelyn who spotted that the bridge was opening at the very last second - shouting a warning to her husband, who stepped on the gas. 

The bridge had opened because a fishing vessel was attempting to pass through - but its radio was not working and the operator couldn't contact it, officials said.

The operator also said that he had been blinded by sunlight and wasn't able to see the family's Toyota RAV4 properly - but had thought that it would have been able to clear the bridge in time.

He was wrong.

Instead the car leaped four-to-six feet through the air, carrying the shocked family with it, a witness later said, according to the Courier-Post.

'I wasn't nervous until we landed,' said Jacquelyn. 'That's when we realized the bridge wasn't just a little bit open.'

Rather more aware was a driver behind the group, who, Jacquelyn said, 'parked and started screaming because he thought we were in the water.'

Accident: The bridge lifted because a man in the control booth (center, bottom) was blinded by the sun and thought they would be off the end of the bridge when it began lifting 

Accident: The bridge lifted because a man in the control booth (center, bottom) was blinded by the sun and thought they would be off the end of the bridge when it began lifting 

The car was able to drive away from the scene, but sustained $10,000 in damages, including a bent bumper, the family said.

They have not suffered any immediately obvious injuries, but are still being evaluated, Jacquelyn said.

But she remains annoyed by the circumstances surrounding their impromptu flight.

'To me, in this day and age it's almost ridiculous that you're depending on a human being to look out a window [and operate the bridge], rather than using technology,' she said.

And Terence is similarly upset. 'I will never ever drive that bridge or probably any drawbridge again,' he remarked.

Wide gap: The bridge crosses over the Middle Thorofare that separates Wildwood Crest and Cape May in New Jersey

Wide gap: The bridge crosses over the Middle Thorofare that separates Wildwood Crest and Cape May in New Jersey

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