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Driver jumps rising draw bridge at the Shore

Terence Naphys told police he felt he had no other choice when he found his SUV going up.

The Middle Thorofare Bridge
The Middle Thorofare BridgeRead moreGoogle Maps

A Gloucester County man who found his SUV rising as a drawbridge started to open at the Shore reportedly hit the gas pedal and successfully made it safely to the other side, but not without damage to his vehicle.

Terence Naphys, 51, of Thorofare, found himself in the unusual predicament Aug. 1 on the Middle Thorofare Bridge  connecting the Wildwoods and Cape May, the Press of Atlantic City reports.

Citing a Lower Township police accident report, the Press said Naphys, with three family members in his 2016 Toyota RAV 4,  had just paid the toll and was on the steel grate at the top of the bridge when it started to open for an approaching boat.

Naphys told police the grate had risen from three to six feet when he decided he had no other option but to go forward.

The SUV went over the opening gap and slammed into the concrete roadway, damaging its front end.

No one was hurt, the Press said.

The bridge tender told police he did not see the SUV because of sun glare when he started to open the bridge.

The Cape May Bridge Commission, the span's operator, is investigating.