Two NYPD officers and a bystander were credited for a courageous Thanksgiving rescue of a man from a Manhattan train track with just seconds to spare.
Officers Brunel Victor and Taufique Bokth, both on patrol at the 116th train station at East Harlem, reported hearing a commotion on the opposite platform, according to ABC7. Video from one of the officer’s body cameras shows both officers racing up the stairs to street level and crossing traffic to reach the opposite tracks, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Two NYPD Officers Shot, Suspect Dead After Harlem Shooting)
“I noticed a few people in the train making a commotion and then I heard a loud scream,” Officer Victor recounted to ABC7. Victor’s partner, Officer Bokth, was told they had just two minutes before the next train arrived. “But I didn’t look back, I just jumped in,” Bokth said.
Both officers arrived on scene to find a bystander attempting to lift a semi-conscious man off the tracks, ABC7 reported. Together with the help of the good Samaritan, Officer Victor pulled the man up to safety. The identity of the third rescuer remains unknown, as he hopped onto the next train before he could be thanked for his actions, according to the outlet.
“Thanks to the quick actions of Officers Bokth & Victor the injured male was rescued from the tracks moments before an oncoming train pulled into the station,” the NYPD stated. The man was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries, according to the NYPD.
“Our daily thing is to help people,” Officer Victor said. “We don’t care what if we have to put ourselves on the line. That’s why we do, that’s why we take this job,” he stated.
The two officers’ heroic actions earned the praise of New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who tweeted: “The heroics of NY’s Finest always amazes me. For the @NYPD25Pct officers who rescued a man from an oncoming train after he accidentally fell on the subway tracks yesterday in Manhattan — the courage is second nature.”
