CHARLOTTE, NC – Dramatic video shows the moment firefighters rescued a man from a submerged car during this weekend’s nor’easter in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Charlotte Fire Department shared video footage from a firefighter’s helmet that shows the moment the rescue occurred.
During a storm that brought 11 inches of snow to the city, crews were called in to rescue a stranded driver in a pickup truck that had gone off the road and into a retention pond.
The car started taking on water, so the driver climbed into the bed of the truck and waited as firefighters worked in the dark and in cold water.
FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen is live in Charlotte, North Carolina recapping the historic snow the city saw this weekend from an intense nor’easter. Stay with FOX Weather for the latest on what’s to come for the rest of the week.
The video shows crews wading through what appears to be several inches of snow before inflating a rescue boat to bring the man back to shore.
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The bed of the truck was covered in snow. He told firefighters that he’d been stranded for about 45 minutes, and his feet were numb. Firefighters were eventually able to bring the man to safety.
“This is what real-time decision-making looks like. This is teamwork under pressure,” the fire department said on social media.
CHARLOTTE, UNITED STATES – JANUARY 25: A view of the area following an ice storm that left about a million people without power in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States on January 25, 2026.
(Peter Zay/Anadolu / Getty Images)
This weekend’s nor’easter ties the record for the fourth-snowiest day on record, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Other areas in North Carolina, such as the Outer Banks, saw strong wind gusts and near-blizzard conditions which resulted in several home collapses.
FOX Weather’s Bob Van Dillen was live in Charlotte all weekend long covering the major storm.
