A sinkhole swallowed up the front end of a car on a street in Philadelphia’s Hunting Park section early Tuesday morning.

The nose of the Pontiac Bonneville was sinking down below the street – its rear raised in the air. That was the sight neighbors were met with early this morning on the 3600 block of Marvine Street in Hunting Park.

Car owner Fran Leftenant woke up to an officer knocking on her door.

“I thought I had two missing tires, but it wasn’t the case. My car was sinking,” said Leftenant. “Right now I’m just sick.”

She and other residents watched as the hole got deeper, and the lean on the car greater. A tow truck was called.

Google+  FB Share  

Leftenant tells us, “It’s getting worse now. I have to get another tow truck to get it out because the first truck, he couldn’t do it.”

PGW crews were on scene for hours with jackhammers and shovels. Neighbors watched the progression around the car that remained tilted on its two front wheels.

Action News spoke with a representative from the Water Department, who explained that a water main break caused the sinkhole, and that the car that was parked above just fell right in as the street collapsed.

When the car fell, it landed on a PGW service main. PGW says there is no gas leak and no evacuations are necessary.

However, as a precaution, gas service was temporarily turned off to four nearby homes and crews will also replace the gas main after the car is safely removed.