Mantua Officers Rescue Ducklings Trapped In Storm Drain

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- Officers with the Mantua Police Department took time out of their busy day to answer a duck call.

Friday morning Dominic Spano of Mantua couldn't understand why a duck was pacing back and forth on his sidewalk quacking loudly.

Then he realized it was next to his storm drain.

"I figure some babies must be in there," said Spano pointing to the drain on Surry Road just beyond his back deck.

Sure enough, there were the ducklings down the drain, likely swept off their feet from the recent rainfall.

Mantua Township patrolmen Brian Hauss and Robert Layton answered the call for help.

"Animal control was coming to get the ducks out and I called patrolman Hauss I said, 'Let's go out and we can get the ducks out of there,'" says Officer Layton.

Taking a Halligan tool from his truck Officer Layton lifted the grate and Officer Hauss went into the storm drain to rescue about 20 ducklings.

"There was no water or anything in there but all the ducks were all huddled up in the corner scared to death," recalls Officer Hauss.

In the end all the ducklings were safe and waddled off behind mama duck like nothing ever happened.

Neighbor Sarah Cooper recorded the entire rescue on her phone and let Mantua Township Police post it on their Facebook page.