Man Allegedly Steals Cab Before Jumping Into Hudson River, Prompting Water Rescue
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - An alleged carjacking ended with a water rescue near Battery Park City Friday morning.
The chaotic scene began when a man allegedly stole a yellow cab from in front of the Conrad Hotel on North End Avenue.
The driver of the cab, who did not want to be identified, told CBS2's Reena Roy he was talking with a doorman at the hotel when the suspect jumped into the driver's seat and sped off.
The cab driver and doorman chased him.
The suspect drove about three blocks and jumped the curb on River Terrace, Roy reported, before getting out of the cab and dropping the keys in the street. He then ran over to the Hudson River and jumped in near Brookfield Place.
The captain and crew of the NY Waterway ferry Thomas Kean were nearby and pulled him from the water.
Captain David Dort maneuvered the ferry into position as the crew lowered a roll-up ladder called a "Jason's Cradle" from the front of the boat.
"I put the boat in the right position, the crew did all the heavy work," Dort said.
Deckhands Gregorio Pages and Pietro Romano pulled the man aboard.
"The crew did an excellent job. They did what they were trained to do," Dort said. "For us, this is all in a day's work."
The man was turned over to the NYPD and EMS at the ferry terminal.
It's the second such rescue for Dort and Pages. Back in 2016, the two helped rescue a man near West 39th Street.
NY Waterway crews have helped rescue more than 250 people from area waters in the last 31 years, including 143 people from the Miracle on the Hudson.
