Rescuers help man escape from collapsed cesspool

A 71-year-old Cape May County man was injured last Friday when he fell into a collapsed cesspool, authorities say.

Police responded to the 200 block of Route 47 in Green Creek around 8:30 a.m. on a report of a man falling into a cesspool, an underground storage tank for liquid waste.

According to police, Vincent Deprinzio was inspecting the cesspool after it had collapsed during the previous night.

That’s when the dirt he was standing on gave way, causing him to fall in, police said.

First responders helped Deprinzio escape from the hole. He was transported to Cape May Regional Medical Center for treatment of an ankle injury.

The Green Creek Fire Department and Middle Township EMS responded to the scene.