Harrowing moment woman is nearly killed inside 7ft sinkhole until brave officer runs to rescue

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 05:36, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 05:54, 1 July 2026 A woman had a brush with death after getting trapped inside of a massive sinkhole before being rescued in a stunning moment that was captured on camera. A 7-foot sinkhole opened in downtown Norfolk, Virginia, last Tuesday afternoon as the city was being battered by torrential rain. During the downpour, the woman's white SUV became stuck face down in a sinkhole. That's when Officer Antwon 'AJ' Stevenson bravely stepped into action. Bodycam video of the harrowing rescue was shared by the Norfolk Police Department. The cops said the brave rescue was the 'talk of the town.' The footage showed Stevenson asking the woman, who has not been identified, if anyone else was in the car with her. She seems to respond that she had been going to work. When Stevenson opened her door, the woman's vehicle immediately began flooding. She held firmly onto the officer's arm, grunting and panting while being struck by the rapidly moving floodwater. The water went up to the woman's knees as she finally exited the partially submerged SUV. Stevenson desperately asked her to 'hold still' and 'hold on.' The unidentified woman's car began getting flooded immediately as she was helped out by a police officer The woman's white SUV became partially submerged last Tuesday afternoon on East City Hall Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia, as the rain was getting hit by torrential rain The Norfolk Police Department said Stevenson received help from 'caring citizens who stopped to help him' while he rescued the trapped driver. Authorities said Stevenson's daring rescue took less than a minute. Brennan Feldman was driving downtown when he witnessed the woman's car in the sinkhole. He said he noticed her 'screaming for help.' 'It was raining harder than I've ever seen it rain in my entire life,' Feldman told 13NewsNow. Norfolk was under a flash flood warning at the time, according to the outlet. 'I couldn't just leave her there,' Feldman said. 'That just didn't feel right.' Feldman explained that Stevenson jumped into the sinkhole moments later. He said the water reached up to the police officer's chest once he was in and that he was holding him back by the belt. In the bodycam video, the officer could be heard asking bystanders to grab his belt as he rushed to help the woman. 'The lady is like, so frozen in fear that she can't even move, or speak, or nothing,' Feldman said. Bodycam footage released by the Norfolk Police Department showed how the water reached up to the woman's knees as she was helped out of her vehicle by a law enforcement officer Officer Antwon 'AJ' Stevenson said he was fully focused on rescuing the woman, even as the water reached his chest when he rushed to her rescue Stevenson called the sinkhole rescue a 'team effort' as he lauded the bystanders who witnessed the car getting trapped. 'They didn't pull their phones out and start recording,' according to comments collected by 13NewsNow. 'They actually stood by and even checked on me, as well as the woman.' Stevenson said he 'didn't factor my own safety in,' adding that he was fully focused on the woman's panic. He added that a separate police officer was in the vicinity and would have been ready to help, as well. The daughter of the driver, who also has not been identified, said that Norfolk's roads were 'unsafe.' 'My mother is shaken up and upset,' she told WTKR. 'She was just driving to go do something for her job and the road fell in.' 'Her life flashed before her eyes,' the daughter added. The sinkhole was caused by a water main break, according to the outlet. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Norfolk Police Department for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.