Police: Elderly man falls in sinkhole in Strawberry Mansion

STRAWBERRY MANSION (WTXF) - Authorities are investigating after they say a man fell into a sinkhole Saturday night.

It happened around 11:30 p.m. on the 3100 block of West Norris Street. Police say 68-year-old Eugene Clarke fell into an eight-foot deep hole.

Eugene is back home now after a trip to Temple University Hospital, with minor injuries to his ankle, wrist and back.

"It was pretty tight trying to get me out of there," he says. "I had debris falling on me. I drank a lot of mud and ate a lot of stuff last night. It was an uncomfortable situation."

Eugene says the freak accident was born out of his continued efforts to protect neighborhood kids, after a city crew fixed two other holes along Norris Street near 32nd.

He says the crew did leave a small plastic barrier around the hole, but neighborhood kids knocked it down.

When Eugene went to adjust it, a piece of road gave out. That's when he ended up in the hole.

"I thank God it's not as bad as it could have been," he says.

Now, the Philadelphia Water Department is investigating.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 29 for updates.