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10/16/2008 01:09 AM

Three Teens Rescued From Queens Sewer

By: NY1 News

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Three teens were charged with criminal trespassing after firefighters rescued them from inside a Queens sewer Wednesday.

The boys, aged 15, 16 and 17, were trapped underneath the sewer at Fresh Meadow Lane and Underhill Avenue in Auburndale.

A neighbor said she called police after she saw them climb into the manhole.

Officials warned that things could have been worse if not for the good weather.

"This is a very bad area speaking to the [Department of Environmental Protection],” said FDNY Deputy Chief Mark Ferren. “It's a nice day now, so there's not a lot of water down there but it is a storm sewer. You get a thunderstorm with a lot of rain quickly, it can fill up to the top. There's a 12-foot opening down there, you could drive a car down there, but it fills up right to the top in a strong storm. So they could be, you know, overcome by a water current."

The teens, who are students at Flushing’s John Bowne High School, were checked out by emergency workers, and were said to be fine after their rescue.