NAIL-BITING footage shows the moment two police officers jump onto the tracks of a subway line in New York to save an elderly man from being run over.
Officers Baez and Hall were patrolling the Utica Avenue station in Brooklyn on Monday night (3 JUL) when they were alerted to a man who “appeared sick”.
Rushing over to the platform, the pair leapt into action after finding the 68-year-old man lying face down on the tracks and seemingly unconscious.
Footage filmed from Officer Hall’s body camera shows the two cops running towards the fallen OAP.
As Officer Hall reaches the tracks, it’s made clear that the unidentified man is unresponsive.
The man appears to have dropped his cane and a black shopping bag on the yellow tiles of the platform, before seemingly falling face down onto the tracks.
The clip then cuts to show Officer Baez lying on the ground reaching his hand down to the man in an attempt to drag him up.
Proving unsuccessful though, the video then jumps to the perspective of Officer Baez’s camera as he and his colleague now stand on the tracks, frantically trying to lift the dead weight of the man.
Officer Baez manages to get a grip of the man’s shirt before the footage cuts back to the perspective of Officer Hall, as the two attempt to hoist the man back up onto the platform.
Other bystanders appear to now be standing above them, attempting to pull the man up to safety.
With both parties unsure of when the next train is due and nervousness setting in over their situation, Officer Hall can be heard begging: “Come on, come on, come on, please, please. Come on, come on.”
Fortunately, the pair were eventually able to lift the man up and safely move him onto the platform before any trains arrived.
It is unclear what caused the man to fall down and lose consciousness.
However, the New York Police Department (NYPD) have since confirmed that paramedics later arrived and took the man to Interfaith Medical Center where he was placed under further monitoring.
The NYPD shared the video to social media yesterday with the caption: “Officers Baez & Hall took brave action to save a straphanger who fell on the subway tracks after he suffered a medical episode.
“Watch their amazing rescue on their body cam footage.”
The clip has since received over 200 likes and comments from users left amazed by the officers’ selfless actions.
One user wrote: “You two saved a life today. Congratulations on your heroic efforts.”
Another commented: “Outstanding. Glad to see a couple of civilians step up and assist these two brave officers.
“If you’ve never tried to lift or move ‘dead’ weight, it takes everything you got and then some.”
A third said: “Thank you to the men and women in blue.”
Another added: “Great job. Thank you for your fine work.”
The NYPD’s 81st Precinct said in a statement: “When a male fell into the train tracks after having a medical episode, without hesitation Officers Baez and Hall jumped into the train tracks, placing themselves in a perilous situation, lifted the unresponsive adult over tracks onto the platform to safety.”
