Swimmer Rescued After He's Caught for Hours in a Tribeca Storm Drain

An unidentified swimmer waits to board an ambulance on West Street after his rescue from a storm drain near Pier 26. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

A late-night swimmer was rescued Friday morning, hours after being caught in a storm drain near Pier 26 in Tribeca. First responders were called to the scene at 7:14 a.m. after passersby heard the “midnight swimmer” yelling for help, according to a firefighter at the scene. The man, wearing only undershorts, appeared uninjured as he walked on his own to a waiting ambulance, where he was wrapped in a sheet, then transported to Bellevue Hospital.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” the firefighter said.