NEW YORK – New York Yankees Spanish-speaking Rickie Ricardo rescued his English radio colleague, John Sterling, who was trapped in his car Wednesday night as it flooded Wednesday night after being stranded when trying to drive home.
Sterling and Ricardo worked the last game of the Yankees in their visit to the Los Angeles Angels from Yankee Stadium because the radio teams do not yet have permission to travel with the teams as part of the protocols for COVID-19.
On Thursday, Ricardo related to WFAN that Sterling, 83, was the first to leave the stadium after the conclusion of the game at around 10 pm ET, while Ricardo stayed for a while for the post-game program.
Ricardo said that when he finally left the park, the water in the Yankee Stadium lobby was up to his ankles and that he found several streets closed and flooded as a result of the rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. The storm killed at least 12 people in New York, including one who drowned in a car and 11 more in condo basements, police said.
Sterling’s broadcast partner, Suzyn Waldman, called Ricardo when he was trying to find a free way to his home in New Jersey and told him that Sterling was in his car on River Road in Edgewater, New Jersey, just over the George Bridge. Washington.
“I’ve seen River Road flood into Edgewater,” Ricardo recounted. “And with the kind of rain we had, I just imagined what was going on, so I said to Suzy, ‘I’m on my way. I more or less know where (Sterling) lives. I’ll see where it is and what I can do. ‘
Ricardo called Sterling and kept him on the phone until he found him in one of about 25 cars stuck in the flood, which covered the tires of most vehicles. Ricardo, who drives a Jeep, stopped behind Sterling’s car and helped him out. He said it took him about an hour to find a clear path to Sterling’s apartment, which was about half a mile (800 meters) away, but that in the end, he was able to get him safely.
Michael Kay, who broadcasts Yankees games on television, also recounted that he had trouble getting home Wednesday night in a tweet saying he planned to wait for the storm to pass at Fordham University in the Bronx. During the game, he also posted photos of the Yankee Stadium outfield completely completely underwater.
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