SUV sinks in New Jersey beach as owner tries to save it - VIDEO

NEW JERSEY (WJBK) - A man who was trying to take scenic pictures of his SUV on the Jersey Shore wound up racing against the tide to dig it out as it sunk into the water-logged sand.

Police and a tow truck company were both on the scene when Megan & Christopher Gillich started recording their video. The video, which the Gillich's shared with us, shows the man using a shovel to try and dig the Land Rover from the sand.

The man continued to shovel, even as the ocean pounded against the SUV. At one point, a wave even went over the top of the vehicle.

NJ.com spoke with Christopher Gillich who said the man insisted of leaving the SUV running, even while it was in the water.

"He felt as though if he shut it off, he may never get it started again. I told him to at least close the driver's window. He told me not to worry about it -- the truck's waterproof," he told NJ.com.

The SUV was finally dislodged and the man pulled away. But Gillich said that was only after a tow truck driver pulled him loose. Gillich said that it sounded like it was "flushing seashells through the engine, grinding and cracking, and sizzling, smoking and steaming".