Watch: Driver trapped trying to save truck as wall of muddy water slams into California town

Driver races to save truck from oncoming wall of water, mud during California flash flood

A driver scrambled to save his pickup truck from a torrent of water and mud as flash flooding slammed Oak Glen, California Thursday, but instead got caught in a river of mud.

OAK GLEN, Calif. -- A driver made a daring, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to save his truck from an oncoming wall of water and mud as flash flooding fueled by the remnants of Tropical Storm Mario slammed Southern California Thursday.

Video shot near the Oak Glen Steakhouse & Saloon shows a man racing to climb into his truck as the muddy river raged just feet away from the parking lot, while shocked onlookers cried warnings of "Watch Out!"

Driver tries to rescue truck from flash flooding in Oak Glen, California on Sept. 18, 2025.

(Gabriel Sedillo via Storyful)

The man jumped into the truck and slammed it into reverse, but moments later, a surge of water and mud overtook the truck and the edge of the parking lot, pulling the truck deeper into the muck.

REMNANTS OF MARIO TRIGGER MUDSLIDES AS RAIN SURGES ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

The truck became stuck, but luckily remained in relatively shallow mud as much deeper and more powerful currents raced by uncomfortably close. 

San Bernardino County Fire officials said there were no reported injuries during the flooding in that town.

The flooding left a trail of mud and damage as it swept through the area. Multiple other cars were seen trapped up to their tires in mud, while officials reported some power lines were also compromised.

Farther upstream, photographer Denisse Romo was filming when the waves of water came racing down the culvert.

Wall of mud rolls through California town during flash flood

Flash flooding swept water and mud along a riverbank in Oak Glen, California Thursday.

"Around 2:30 p.m., I heard a loud rumbling," Romo told Storyful. "When I looked out my kitchen window, I saw a wave of mud coming fast. The first wave had trees, mailboxes and a bunch of debris. It did not stop for a good two hours, just wave after wave of mud."

Rainfall totals in the mountains ranged anywhere from a half inch to 2 inches, with a few isolated higher totals.  Gauges near Bear Valley in San Bernardino County recorded 2.83 inches while another gauge along Running Springs tallied 4.14 inches.

Tropical moisture sweeps southern California, leading to mudslides, flooding

The remnants of Tropical Storm Mario have brought rounds of heavy rain to southern California, causing flooding and mudslides to occur. A 2-year-old boy died in the flooding after his family's car was swept away.

Farther north, the area around Ridgecrest reported as much as 3.17 inches.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to correct details on the driver provided by Storyful.