Long Island Woman Rescued After Falling Into Backyard Cesspool on Her Birthday

A Long Island woman narrowly escaped being buried alive when she fell into an eight-foot-deep cesspool hole in her backyard while celebrating her 47th birthday. Danielle Tammone, of Bohemia, was in her yard when the ground gave way beneath her feet, plunging her into darkness.

"It happened so quickly. My feet just sunk a little bit. But it was like seconds. I didn’t even have time, and then I was just, whoop, down a hole, in the ground," Tammone told 1010 Wins. She described the hole as being filled with muddy water but fortunately landed on a pile of sod, preventing her from sinking deeper.

Unable to find purchase on the slippery, crumbling walls, Tammone felt panic setting in. "You’re like, 'Wow, I could die today. This could not end well. I could be buried alive,' because that’s what you’re thinking," she recounted.

She screamed for help for approximately ten minutes before two strangers, neighbors Christine Chanowsky and Maggie, heard her and came to her aid. Ring camera footage captured the distress of Tammone and her golden retriever, Daisy, who circled the hole anxiously.

"At first, we thought she was in the shed or something. We were not looking on the ground," Chanowsky told CBS News. Upon realizing the situation, the neighbors immediately called 911. They reassured Tammone that help was on the way and encouraged her to keep screaming.

Police officers arrived promptly and used a ladder to rescue Tammone from the hole. It is unclear if she sustained any injuries from the fall.

Following her rescue, Tammone expressed deep gratitude for the assistance provided by her neighbors and the police. In a touching gesture, her neighbors even sang her "Happy Birthday" after she was safely pulled out.