- The man was pulled to safety after first responders found him in waters near W. 12th St. in the West Village
- The man was ‘basically naked’ when rescuers pulled him out of the icy waters
- An FDNY spokesperson said that the man initially resisted their assistance
- The man, estimated to be in his mid-30s, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital
The New York City Fire Department said Saturday that they successfully rescued a naked man found swimming in the freezing waters of the Hudson River.
The man was pulled to safety after first responders found him in waters near W. 12th St. in the West Village around 2:30pm, according to the New York Daily News.
Lt. Christopher Fallon said that when rescue teams retrieved the unidentified man in his mid-30s, he was ‘basically naked.’
The man was pulled to safety after first responders found him in waters near W. 12th St. in the West Village
The man was ‘basically naked’ when rescuers pulled him out of the icy waters, according to the FDNY
An FDNY spokesperson said that the man initially resisted their assistance and swam away from them
‘He didn’t want to be rescued,’ Fallon continued, noting that the swimmer initially resisted the FDNY’s assistance.
‘We deployed a rescue swimmer, Firefighter Dennis Kerrigan, into the water but the patient kept swimming further out in order to avoid being saved,’ Fallon said.
‘The patient kept fighting to get away so we positioned the boat where all the members could assist with getting the patient safely on board… We assessed the patient for any life-threatening injuries and transported the patient safely to land where EMS was waiting,’ he added.
Authorities said that the whole crew was needed to reel the swimmer inside the Marine 1 fire boat.
Once aboard, FDNY rescue workers tried keep the man warm as they rushed him to Bellevue Hospital.
Fallon said the Hudson River was a frigid 40 degrees on Saturday, meaning rescue teams were required to act swiftly.
‘We knew he couldn’t go under,’ he explained. ‘We had to act fast.’
The man, estimated to be in his mid-30s, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital for additional treatment