A compassionate stranger and the everyday heroism of New York police officers combine to save the life of a distraught young woman who tried to throw herself into the city’s East River.
Dramatic bodycam video captured the three officers clinging for dear life to the woman’s wrists as she dangled above icy water on Sunday.
A good Samaritan spotted the 19-year-old looking angry as she sat on a railing with her feet hanging over the edge just after 11am.
He alerted the nearest officers monitoring the New York half marathon on Sunday and they rushed to the scene in time to see the woman lowered over the edge.
Bronx police officer Jonathan Mazza started talking to her and grabbed a wrist as she tried to fall into the rushing current below.
“Ma’am, we’re not going to let you go, we’re going to get you the help you need, okay?” he told her.
Bronx Police Officer Jonathan Mazza jumped at the woman’s wrist as she tried to throw herself off the fence: “I immediately got down on the ground, put my hands under the railing and grabbed her wrists as tight as I could,” he said
Dramatic police bodycam footage captured images of the woman dangling inches above the fast-flowing river
The officers held on for dear life as the harbor police boat appeared in the distance and steamed toward the scene
A police colleague called the harbor police on the radio while the woman screamed for her to be let go. Mazza tried to maintain his grip through the narrow gap at the bottom of the metal fence at the Manhattan Bridge.
Officer Crisbel Lopez jumped down next to her Bronx colleague and tried to grab the woman’s other wrist.
“Don’t do it, give me your hand, give me your hand,” she told her.
‘Do not go. No. You’re good, you’re good.’
As the minutes passed and there was no sign of reinforcements, Mazza began to wonder whether he would have to put his lifeguard training to use in the deadly waters below.
“I thought about my family and my loved ones, and I knew she was going through something, and what she was going through wasn’t worth doing what she did,” he said.
“But I was there to be with her and help her in any way we could.”
“They both had one hand and she was hanging on the edge and they held her for a good two to three minutes before the dock reached the edge,” Officer Jessette Adorno said.
“Come on guys, I’m losing her,” Mazza said as the lifeboat finally came into view.
Officer Jessette Adorno (left) raised the alarm when Officer Jonathan Mazza grabbed the woman by the wrist and clung
Bronx officers were assisting police during the New York City Half Marathon on Sunday when the drama unfolded on a footbridge just south of the Manhattan Bridge.
Three officers had held the woman’s wrists when the harbor police boat arrived below
The boat stopped beneath the teenager just in time, much to the relief of the struggling police officers
Ultimately, the distraught 19-year-old was brought to safety; her life was saved by the courage and teamwork of the New York officers.
“I have her, they need to come here alone,” a colleague replied.
The desperately relieved officers were able to relinquish their grip as the boat stopped beneath the teenager and the crew carried her aboard.
Mazza noticed concerned text messages and missed calls on the woman’s phone and began calling the numbers for more information.
He told ABC News on Tuesday that he spoke with a concerned family member, who assured him the young woman was responding and getting better.
The bodycam footage, which was posted on the police’s social media pages, won praise for the brave officers who saved the woman’s life.
“NYPD officers always give their all when people need them most,” wrote former New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.
“Kudos to these great officers for their quick thinking and teamwork.”
“Wow, that was close to say the least,” William Serrano added.
“You literally saved her life.”