'Water coming up to my feet': Family-owned New Jersey ice cream shop devastated by floodwaters

When Jay Vigilante and his wife, Tiffany, opened Callie's Creamery in Neptune, New Jersey, they never imagined their beloved ice cream shop would be devastated by floodwaters.

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Named after their 7-year-old daughter, Callie, the family-owned shop has been serving the community for the past five years.

Over the weekend, severe storms dumped torrential rain across the region. Some areas saw almost 6 inches of rainfall. 

Homes and businesses were completely flooded. Callie's Creamery was among the hardest-hit.

"It's almost at least knee height," Vigilante told FOX Weather.

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Vigilante said he was at the creamery late at night making ice cream after a busy Fourth of July weekend when he received a call from a woman and her grandson asking if they could come inside since they were stranded in their car from rising floodwaters.

At first, he didn't think much of it because the nearby intersection frequently floods. He returned to work, expecting the storm to pass without getting any worse.

But about 15 to 20 minutes later, everything changed.

"There's water literally coming up to my feet," Vigilante said. "Just ... enough where I'm like, 'What is that? Did I leave the water on somewhere?'"

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He said floodwater began pouring in through the glass doors, rising rapidly throughout the shop. Within 20 to 30 minutes, the water had climbed to about six inches, forcing everyone inside to evacuate to higher ground.

"It was six inches high in the entire building," Vigilante said. "At that point, I told the two people that were there, we should just go. Let's get somewhere else."

Although about 90% of the water has since receded, the cleanup is just beginning. Mud and debris now cover nearly every inch of the building.

"It's about 3,000 square feet of space, and every inch of it is dirty," Vigilante said.

To explain why the shop was closed, Vigilante and his wife posted a video on social media showing the damage. The video quickly went viral, drawing widespread attention to the destruction of the cherished business.

"People are literally reaching out saying, hey, you do so much for the community. How can we help?" Vigilante said.

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As cleanup continues, Vigilante said the outpouring of support from neighbors and customers has given his family hope that Callie's Creamery will eventually reopen. For now, the shop remains closed indefinitely.

"I'm not really one to get too down on it because that's not really going to help at all," Vigilante said. "So, yeah, it's a challenge. Let's see what we can make of it."