Nanny Rescues Child Who Fell in Septic Hole

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (AP) -- Authorities in New Jersey say a nanny climbed into a 15-foot-deep septic hole and rescued a 3-year-old neighbor who was up to her neck in water.

A 15-foot-deep septic hole a 3-year-old fell down in Hackettstown (Hackettstown Police)

The Express-Times reports 26-year-old Luz Jimenez was at the Hackettstown home where she works when she heard Alison Machigua screaming around 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Authorities say the child had walked into the yard and fell through the grass-covered hole.

Jimenez grabbed a rope and entered the hole, which was about a foot across. As she did that, police arrived and helped ensure Jimenez was safe."I didn't even think when I was going to do that. I just jumped right in there," she told the Express-Times and described the water as "freezing."

She grabbed the child, who was holding onto a metal object near the bottom of the hole. They got out after firefighters arrived and put a ladder into the hole.