New York Streets Flooded As Water Swallows Cars In Just 25 Minutes

A video filmed by X user Amun Zemi captures severe flash flooding rushing through Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, on the evening of May 20, 2026.

The footage shows knee-to-waist-deep water surging down the street like a river, completely covering sidewalks, curbs, and the lower sections of parked and moving vehicles. Pedestrians carefully wade through the fast-moving muddy water while cars slowly push through or become stranded.

The video was posted with the caption: “It flooded on hillside Jamaica, Queens NY this was all in a span of 25 minutes.”

According to the description, the flooding escalated rapidly within just 25 minutes after a sudden heavy downpour.

The scene was among the hardest-hit areas during intense thunderstorms that slammed parts of Queens and Brooklyn that night. In some locations, nearly 2 to 2.57 inches of rain fell in under an hour, overwhelming the city’s aging drainage system and turning streets into rivers.

Flooding impacted several neighborhoods across southeast Queens, submerging vehicles, flooding basements, and disrupting traffic. Similar scenes were reported in Hollis, Rosedale, and Bayside.

No major injuries were reported from the specific location shown in the footage, but the flooding highlighted long-standing infrastructure challenges in the area.