The emergency services are pleading with people to use their commonsense near floodwaters, after a man ended up clinging to a tree in a fast-flowing river in western Sydney.
Rescue crews conducted a swift-water rescue in the Nepean River in the middle of the night to rescue the 18-year-old, who's now in hospital in a stable condition.
"I don't know how he in got there, I don't know why he got there," NSW SES deputy commissioner Steven Pearce told ABC television on Thursday.
"But foolish actions are putting our people in danger as they do with other emergency services."
It's believed the man was cycling along the Penrith Weir with two friends shortly after midnight on Thursday when he fell into the water and had to grab a tree to stop being carried away.
Mr Pearce said while the rain might have eased after this week's wild storms, people still needed to exercise caution due to ongoing flooding.
"I've seen vision this morning of cars still being caught or trapped in causeways - again total stupidity," he told ABC TV.
Flood events have claimed four lives during the storms that began lashing the Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra regions on Monday.
Two man and a woman - all elderly - died in Dungog on Tuesday while an elderly woman died in Maitland after her car was washed away.
He said 10 separate rescues had already been carried on Thursday since 6am.
"We still have people driving and walking and riding and playing and sightseeing in these floodwaters," Mr Pearce told the Seven Network on Thursday.
"It's unfathomable.
"We can't understand why people aren't listening to our advice.
"The danger is there, take responsibility for yourselves and stop putting us in danger."
A total of 132 flood rescues had been made since the wild weather began, including the teenager washed off his bike.
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