Two NYPD officers in the Bronx jumped down onto the train tracks during rush hour on Tuesday afternoon to save a man who had fallen after a medical episode.
According to police, officers assigned transit overtime at the 3rd Avenue-149th Street Station in the South Bronx responded quickly around 5:30 p.m. on May 14 after bystanders said a man had a seizure and fell into the 2/5 train tracks. The NYPD said the man was only “inches away” from the third rail before officers grabbed him.
In body camera footage posted to social media, cops can be seen jumping the turnstiles and rushing onto the busy platform before leaping down into the tracks. Officers were able to aid the man back up to the platform with the help of bystanders, although one of the officers’ gun belts kept getting getting stuck while he was trying to climb back up, the NYPD reported. But with the help of the people on the platform and his partner on duty, he was able to hoist himself back up to safety.
When a man suffered a medical episode & fell on the subway tracks, not only was he inches away from the third rail, but there was an oncoming train rapidly approaching the station. Despite the imminent dangers, @NYPD47Pct officers sprang into action & without hesitation pulled… pic.twitter.com/siHHnXCyIG
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 15, 2024
After the rescue, the video shows bystanders and cops trying to get the man’s name and give him water while he was still laying down on the platform. One person caught on body camera outside of the station near the ambulance said the officers “risked their lives jumping into the tracks to save his life,” and that they did a “really, really good job.”
According to the NYPD, the man who fell on the tracks was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in stable condition.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
