HOBOKEN — Remember how cold and windy it was on Saturday night into Sunday morning? Now imagine saving someone who jumped into the Hudson River at 3 a.m.?
A reader wrote to us with an account of the brave rescue. (If you have news or comments for us, email editorial@hudsonreporter.com)!
The reader writes:
In the early morning hours of Jan 2 at 3a.m., a Pennsylvania man jumped into the Hudson River while [possibly] intoxicated. The man claimed “he slipped while walking the rail.” Responders, Hoboken E.M.S., were on scene ASAP, since they were on their way back from previous job, and happened to be on the same street as the incident.
The two E.M.T.’s working that night were Mr.Butler and Mr.Grapstul, and they quickly went into action once on scene. Both E.M.T.’s quickly prepped a life jacket for the man in waist deep water and dropped it to him via rescue rope, that they carry on the ambulance. Even though the victim in the water was unable to put on his life preserver on properly, due to hypothermia setting in already, the E.M.T.’s were able to talk him into hugging it and wrapping his arm repeatedly around the rescue rope till Hoboken Fire and NYPD helicopter and divers could arrive on scene.
NYPD’s Divers were called off due to the fact that the wind being blown from its wings were drowning the victim. The man was removed safely without any injuries from the water thanks to the joint work of Hoboken’s fire and E.M.S. workers and transported to the hospital, where he is recovering from the freezing minus 10 degree water that night.