Sinkhole Swallows Man's Leg As He Crosses New York City Street

A man crossing a New York City street had his leg swallowed by a sinkhole after the road abruptly gave way beneath him, according to local reports and astonishing video of his rescue.

Photos and videos posted to social media showed the unidentified man awkwardly sitting in the middle of a crosswalk in Brooklyn late Tuesday morning, but with his right leg almost entirely vanishing into the asphalt, CBS New York reported.

Three firefighters were filmed working to pull him out of the hole. After some struggle, he was finally freed but lacking one his shoes and exposing a hole that appeared several inches wide in the ground.

The man “seemed to be in a lot of pain,” according to another man that spoke with DNA Info who claimed to work with the victim at a nearby auto repair shop.

“From what I understand he was walking and the ground gave way. I ran over there and he was stuck in the ground, and the fire department was just arriving when I got there,” said Joe Grunbaum of Kings County Autobody, Inc.

The man was taken to Woodhull Hospital with minor trauma to his leg, The New York Daily News reported.

It’s not clear what caused the sinkhole.