WATCH: Grandma with grandkids narrowly escapes exploding manhole
Barbara Friedman describes the footage to Clarence Ford as ‘startling, shocking and remarkable’.
Grandma escapes manhole with grandkids
CapeTalk's Clarence Ford speaks to Barbara Friedman about trending online stories.
Footage published by the Poughkeepsie fire department in New York shows the moment a grandmother, Lisa Davids, with her two grandkids, narrowly escaped a manhole explosion on Saturday, 19 April.
The footage shows Davids on a stroll pushing one grandchild in a pram while the other walks beside her.
The three had just walked over a manhole before it exploded seconds later.
The explosions occurred amid elevated carbon monoxide levels in multiple local buildings.
While no injuries were reported, Davids explained the moment to reporters, saying, "I didn't know what to do except grab my grandson and run... I couldn't really run straight ahead of me to the corner because the manhole at the next corner blew up too."
Friedman describes the video footage as 'startling, shocking and remarkable'.
Watch the footage shared by Channel 4 News:
A grandmother and her two young grandchildren were walking in Poughkeepsie, New York when they narrowly escaped an exploding manhole which sent concrete and the manhole cover flying. pic.twitter.com/JoU2IK1IwO
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 22, 2025
So scary! A woman and two children narrowly escaped from a manhole explosion after they had just walked across the cover. pic.twitter.com/GpQvc1yWxv
— WIBW (@wibw) April 22, 2025
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.