The two men had taken an elevator into the basement of the Alliance Ave. building to move their cars after they were told the basement parking was flooding because of the overflowing nearby Black Creek late Tuesday night.

They immediately found themselves in rising water and trapped in the elevator on a night where emergency responders were being called for flooding throughout the city that was trapping cars and even streetcars in underpasses.

Constables Ryan Barnett and Josh Mc Sweeney arrived within two minutes of taking the dispatched call finding building workers calling down to the men from the main floor after prying open the elevator doors. The officers decided to approach from the bottom floor because the latch appeared to be unable to open.

They took the stairs down where the water had already risen to within six inches of the doorways and were given a key to open the door to the elevator lobby.

Stripping themselves of their gun belts and bulletproof vests they swam into the black murky water feeling around the lock and latch.

“We’re feeling around and find the lock but there is no handle on the door, just a small lip. There was water on both sides so it was difficult to open the door,” said Barnett, who was thankful that the elevator lobby was still lit on the other side.