Firefighters Rescue Woman Who Fell Into The Water From Pier In Coney Island
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There was a dramatic rescue in Coney Island Monday morning when a woman fell off the pier and into the ocean.
FDNY members pulled her to safety from the choppy waters. It was all caught on video.
On this sunny June day, a walk on the pier sounds ideal, reported CBS2's Reena Roy. For one woman, it became a close call after she apparently fell off, plunging into the water.
Cell phone video show two firefighters working together to get her out around 6:45 a.m. about 100 feet from the beach area.
Web Extra: Firefighters Discuss Coney Island Water Rescue
Witness Nancy Torres Kaufman took the video and called 911. She spoke with Roy by phone.
The current rushed her deeper into the water after she fell.
"I was looking toward the pier. I could hear, very loud, 'Help me! Help me!' Someone clearly in distress," said witness Nancy Kaufman. "It seemed like she was holding on for dear life and someone needed to come quickly."
The brave firefighters of Ladder 166 did just that, arriving here to West 17th Street within just minutes. They heard that woman screaming and spotted her under the pier in the cold and choppy water.
Firefighters said the situation was life-threatening.
"She was cold, very cold, shaking. Obviously in distress," said firefighter Andrew McGowan. "We had to get her warm and get her to the hospital as fast as possible."
Speed was key. They worked quickly, with expertise, gathering their equipment and going in. Two went into the water, connected to a long rope. Several other firefighters on the shore then reeled them in.
"We pretty much all worked together. They reach the patient and give a signal, which is tap yourself on the head. That's the signal for us on shore to pull in, and we pulled her and grabbed her," McGowan said.
"I don't know how long she was asking for help. She was very fortunate to have a group of heroes who came to her rescue," said Kaufman.
The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital and is expected to be OK, thanks to a few of New York's Bravest doing just what they do best.
Firefighters at Ladder 166 get extensive water rescue training throughout the year.
The firehouse is very close to the pier.
