COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A 14-year-old boy says he's thankful to be alive after an overflowing creek in a Cleveland suburb forced him to travel a quarter of a mile through multiple sewer pipes.

Jeffrey LaPorta of Parma was completely submerged in water at times and gasping for air before he found enough breathing room to await rescue.

The teen said in an interview on Friday that the experience was like a 20mph waterslide.

Jeffrey was riding his bike Tuesday through puddles created by the creek. He then fell into the rising water and was sucked into a drainpipe.

Firefighters opened at least six manhole covers downstream before they found him. He was pulled to safety and taken to a hospital, where he received six stitches on his elbow and was released.

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