A mother has been charged with attempted murder after a retired NYPD officer heroically rescued her and her baby from the East River in Queens, New York. The dramatic rescue took place at Hermon A. MacNeil Park in the College Point neighborhood on October 26. Retired Officer Paul Pinsdorf sprang into action when he heard cries for help and spotted the woman and her baby in the water.
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According to CBS New York, Pinsdorf described the heart-wrenching moment when he saw the woman walking deeper into the river while holding her baby. The woman was reportedly uttering incoherent words, making it unclear why she was taking such drastic actions. Pinsdorf, who was volunteering at a nearby Halloween event, wasted no time in diving into the river to save them.
The situation escalated as the woman resisted rescue efforts and refused to come back to safety. In a harrowing turn of events, the baby was almost completely submerged by the time Pinsdorf reached them. Reports state that the woman, later identified as 30-year-old Fei Fei Gao from Queens, waded into the water with her five-month-old child in her arms, per The New York Post.
Following the rescue, both the woman and the infant were taken to different hospitals for treatment. Gao was charged with attempted murder and endangering the welfare of a child after being examined at the hospital. The fast actions of Pinsdorf potentially saved their lives, as fellow retired NYPD Officer Kevin O’Donnell acknowledged, emphasising the critical timing of the rescue.
Bystanders at the park, including former NYPD officers, witnessed the intense situation unfold. Witnesses recounted the woman’s distress and the struggle to wrestle her away from endangering her baby. Brock Weiner, another retired officer on the scene, described the woman’s resistance to being rescued, highlighting the chaos of the moment.
The swift response of the retired NYPD officers, including Pinsdorf and O’Donnell, underscores the importance of being vigilant and ready to act in emergencies. The community’s unity and quick thinking played a crucial role in preventing a tragedy that could have had a devastating outcome. The incident serves as a powerful reminder of the bravery and selflessness exhibited by first responders and community members alike.