WEEHAWKEN AND BEYOND – An unleashed Yorkshire terrier fell 25 ft. onto a rock outcropping after slipping through the fence that protects the public from the Palisades cliffs near Hamilton Park in Weehawken at around 11 p.m. on May 22, North Hudson Regional Fire Director Jeff Welz said Thursday.
When the 22-year-old woman who had been walking the terrier screamed, 19-year-old Luis Lopez climbed over the fence to try and rescue the dog. Though his intentions were good, he ended up becoming stranded on the cliff himself.
North Hudson firefighters arrived at the scene and used a rope-and-ladder rescue method to retrieve Lopez and the dog. Neither sustained any serious injuries, Welz said.
“Although the outcome was really good, the man took a real risk because the dog was so far down,” he added. “A few feet to the right or left would have led to a 100-ft. plummet straight down.”
Welz added that the fire department did a great job of getting them back up, but attempting a rescue like that as a citizen is something the department does not recommend. If it happens, he said, wait for emergency personnel with the proper and safe equipment to arrive. – Gennarose Pope