ICYMI: NYPD Makes Dramatic Water Rescue Of Man Who Fell On Ship

QUEENS, NY — The NYPD performed a dramatic maritime rescue on Thursday afternoon of a man who reportedly fell three stories on a ship located south of Breezy Point off the Queens coast.

The police got a call around 1:20 p.m. Thursday for a 24-year-old man who had suffered a fall aboard a commercial ship named High Courage, which was located 16 miles south of the Rockaways, police said.

NBC New York reported that the man was standing on the bow of the 600-foot ship and fell more than three stories onto the deck of the ship.

A water rescue would have taken about two hours to reach the vessel, so police used helicopters instead.

Detective Christopher Maher flew the chopper over the boat, and Detective Mel Maurice was lowered down from it onto the ship. Maurice helped stabilize the man on board the ship, then helped hoist him up to the helicopter.

The injured man was taken to Staten Island University North Hospital in stable condition.

A second police chopper was on hand to witness the rescue. You can see video of it below:

"When I got down there he was relatively stable, but he was in distress and needed evaluation," Maurice told reporters, according to the New York Daily News. "We talked to him and try to keep him calm. I tried to let him know everything was OK."

Image via NYPD