Bystanders Help in River Rescue of Man Near Rockefeller Park

Rescuer from Marine 1 gets hold of man who had been clinging to a life preserver ring by the seawall at Rockefeller Park. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

Good Samaritans aided in the dramatic rescue of a man from the Hudson River near the southern end of Battery Park City's Rockefeller Park Tuesday night, helping to keep him afloat before an FDNY diver could arrive by boat and pull him to safety.

Raymond Ramirez said he had just come out of a nearby building when he heard someone yelling from the darkness of the river. “I said, ‘Are you in the water?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’” Ramirez threw a life preserver ring, attached to the esplanade railing, into the water next to the high seawall. 

“I said, ‘Can you come to me? Can you swim?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So thank God we got this [ring],” Ramirez said.

Marvin Green, 32, from Brooklyn, said he had been sitting on a bench when he heard some commotion and caught a glimpse of the man in the water. “I saw [Ramirez] throw the ring down and I thought possibly they might need help anchoring him in place. Green said he took over when Ramirez left to get help. He kept a tight grip on the line attached to the ring, and continued to reassure the man in the water. “I tried to keep communicating with him, like everyone else, saying you’re good, you’re good. Just making sure he was alright. Thankfully he was.” Other bystanders were on the phone with 911, trying to direct rescuers to the scene.

An FDNY spokesman said the unidentified man was emotionally disturbed and taken to Bellevue Hospital.