EDISON, NJ – Heavy rain during afternoon storms Wednesday gave commuters heading home on Route 1 south a real headache.

The busy roadway was flooded out around 5:30 p.m., stranding at least eight motorists trying to make it home from work.

Career firefighter Tim Castleton was off duty in his Jeep and stopped to help three of the drivers get out of their floating cars.

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“It was the worst I’ve ever seen it,” Castleton said during a telephone interview later, around 7:30 p.m. “The water has subsided, but the stranded cars are still making Route 1 and Route 27 a mess.”

Heavy rain, thunder and lightning moved through the region Wednesday afternoon causing several inches of rain to fall in a short period of time, causing the flooding.

Castleton took several videos and a photo from Route 1 south by the Wick Plaza, showing several cars trapped in the deluge during the rush hour commute.

We will update this story if more information becomes available.