WATCH: Officers rescue woman in distress from New York high-rise
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BROOKLYN, New York — A dramatic rescue unfolded in Brooklyn on Thursday when New York Police Department officers saved a woman found sitting on the edge of a high-rise building on Duffield Street, according to police.
Authorities received a 911 call around 1:15 p.m. reporting a woman on a ledge. When officers arrived, they discovered a distressed 41-year-old woman perched outside the building.
One officer immediately pleaded with her, saying, “Hi ma’am, please don’t do it,” as she cried and told them, “Tell my mom and dad that I love them.”
An officer identifying himself as Nicholas spoke gently as he approached, asking if he could come closer before reaching through a glass barrier to grasp her arm.
“Listen, we care about you and we don’t want to see you hurt yourself,” he told her. “Whatever you are going through, we can fix it. We can try to fix it.”
When the woman asked whether she would be taken to the hospital, the officer reassured her: “I’m positive, we can do whatever you want to do. Anything is better than this.”
As officers maintained physical contact and continued speaking with her, an NYPD Emergency Service Unit team arrived with rappelling gear. They secured lines to the building, allowing one ESU officer to descend onto the ledge beside her.
“I told you I was going to come help you,” the officer told the woman as he joined her. “We can sit here for ten minutes, we can sit here for half an hour—I just want to make sure you are safe. Whatever it is you’re going through, I want to help you. I will personally help you.”
The woman eventually reached for the officer’s hand. With one officer holding her through the window and another beside her on the ledge, they carefully guided her back over the barrier to safety.
“Look where we are—we have the best view in the city,” one officer told her as they prepared to move. “We’ll talk to your mom, we’ll get you a new phone. We have you. Come on.”
EMS transported the woman to a local hospital for evaluation.
In a statement posted on social media, the NYPD praised the officers’ actions: “Heroism and heart from NY’s Finest. When a woman was seated on the ledge of a high-rise building in Brooklyn, our officers quickly responded, using their training to save her life. This is what it takes to protect and serve.”
Watch the video in the player above.