Hero NYPD cops dive into freezing East River to save 67-year-old man in dramatic footage

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A viral video shows two gutsy NYPD officers diving headfirst into the freezing East River after spotting a 67-year-old man flailing helplessly near a busy Brooklyn shoreline.

The call for help came barreling in at 1.03 pm on November 30, alerting emergency crews to a “person in the water” near Furman Street and Montague Street, directly across from Manhattan’s Pier 11, according to the NYPD.

When officers arrived, they found the man battling the icy currents and losing the fight fast, police said.

NYPD officers jump into freezing river

Two members of the NYPD Harbor Unit wasted zero time. The pair tossed a rescue float over the railing. When that didn’t cut it, they dove right in.

The video posted by the NYPD on X shows the officers powering through the icy chop, reaching the man as he thrashed near the rocks. They hoisted him toward the jagged shoreline where rescuers could haul him up a ladder to safety.

“Relax, you’re OK,” one officer calmly assured him.

The department’s Emergency Service Unit, along with aviation and scuba teams, also rushed to the scene. The man was whisked to Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in stable condition, cops said.

How he ended up in the East River in the first place is still anyone’s guess.

“When a 911 call came in about a person struggling in the water, the NYPD’s Harbor Unit dived right in. They didn’t hesitate, jumping into the freezing water and rescuing the individual, who is now in stable condition,” the NYPD posted. “No fear. No delay. NY’s Finest,” the message added.

Recent Harlem River rescue

The daring rescue comes on the heels of another jaw-dropping save just weeks ago, this time in the Harlem River, where three NYPD officers yanked a teen girl from the icy waters after she leapt in during what sources said was an apparent suicide attempt.

Officers Ankit Gupta, Wilmer Guerrero, and Shuaibul Amine became local heroes when bodycam footage showed them sprinting over rocks, shedding gear, and diving into bone-cold water to grab the panicked teenager.

“Nothing else mattered but just getting her out of the water,” one cop said after the rescue. “Somebody needed help, and this is what we signed up for, and we’re here to help, and that’s what we did,” Guerrero added.

Guerrero stripped off most of his equipment, jumped in, and grabbed the teen as she thrashed in panic. His colleagues were waiting on the rocks to pull the duo back up near 142nd Street.

“It was definitely a cold plunge, freezing. But at that moment, nothing else mattered but just getting her out of the water. So I got over it pretty quickly,” Guerrero said while revisiting the scene with Gupta and Anime.

“I just grabbed her by her sweater and her shoulder, and I was just swimming along with her, and then I was just pushing her forward. I was having a hard time because she was in such a panic frenzy. But I just kept my composure, saying encouraging words that we’re going get through this,” he recalled.

It happened after authorities got a call about “a girl in distress” trying to jump off Harlem River Drive. As officers rushed in, the teen suddenly “just jumped into the water, with all her clothes on,” Gupta said. She began screaming instantly, “Help me, help me, please!”

The girl was about 20 feet out. Guerrero reached her in seconds and steered her back toward the shore. Gupta and Amine, who had also shed gear in case they needed to jump in, hauled both of them to safety.