A video emerged of New York City police pulling a teen hanging off a bridge to safety and away from an oncoming train Wednesday.
The teenager, not identified for privacy reasons, was clinging to the precipitous wall of the bridge. A New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer called out, “Buddy! Gimme your hand!” and reached out to the teenager, the video aired on NBC New York showed.
The incident occurred at the busy corner of Queens Boulevard and Skillman Avenue, NBC New York reported. The child was reportedly on the bridge out of curiosity, wanting to watch the passing trains, but ended up getting stuck on the bridge and teetering over Sunnyside trainyard.
Officers Czerniawski & Ksepka of the @NYPD108Pct rescued a child hanging off a bridge while a train came barreling through. Bystanders held onto the officer’s legs as they pulled the boy to safety. One life saved by a team of cops & community.
Watch the harrowing video below. pic.twitter.com/o9pgmIeJvw
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 26, 2023
“I saw the teenager, clearly very upset, crying. Seemed really scared,” Officer Mark Czerniawski of the NYPD 108th Precinct, one of the two officers who conducted the rescue, told NBC New York.
Officer Rafa Ksepka was responsible for grabbing the teenager’s hand and Officer Czerniawski joined in once the teenager was hoisted up some distance along the bridge wall. They pulled the teenager up to safety just as the approaching Amtrak Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train gave a sustained honk. Officer Ksepka himself needed help in the process. (RELATED: Stunt-Gone-Wrong Leaves Teen Dangling 700 Feet Over California River. Officials Perform Daring Rescue)
“I wanted to make sure I was safe … The public basically held my legs,” he said, referring to bystanders who helped with the situation. Construction workers in the area also joined in the rescue.
“Every life’s important,” Officer Czerniawski told NBC New York.
“It was great to see, actually witness, the public work with us, and we were able to actually save the teenager’s life,” Officer Ksepka said.
The NYPD 108th Precinct Commanding Officer, Captain Tony Wong, congratulated the two officers for the rescue.
“Our job is not only to fight crime; it’s public safety,” Captain Wong told NBC New York.