Community Corner
Ducklings Rescued from Sewer Near Chelsea Assisted Living
A Chelsea employee climbed six feet down into the sewer to rescue the baby ducklings.
An employee of the Chelsea at Fanwood assisted living residence climbed down several 6-foot-deep sewer inlets on Friday, to rescue six baby ducklings who fell through a grate.
Jonathan Morales-Gonzalez, Building Services Director for the Chelsea, lifted off three cast iron grates in the rear parking lot and back yard of the residence with a crowbar and climbed down each to the bottom, following the cheeping sound of the ducklings, which were moving through the sewer system.
One by one, he grabbed the ducklings and handed them up to other waiting staffers who placed them in a box for safe keeping.
After an operation that lasted about 30 minutes, the ducklings were reunited with their worried mother, who had been pacing and quacking the whole time, and returned to a wild area just behind the residence.
Mr. Morales-Gonzalez, a resident of Linden, gave a big thumbs up after climbing out of the last sewer opening.
"He went above, beyond, and below," said Tom Kranz, Communications Director of Chelsea Senior Living.
