A suspected cab thief jumped into the Hudson River in lower Manhattan, nearly drowning before he was rescued by a ferry crew nearby, police say.
Police said 58-year-old man stole a yellow cab in front of 102 North End Ave., then drove three blocks to 22 River Terrace. That's where he jumped out of the cab and into the Hudson River.
Captain David Dort and deckhand Pietro Romano were operating a New York Waterway ferry boat around 8:30 a.m. when they noticed a man in the water, yelling for help.
'Help me!' That's all he said the first time, and that was it," said Romano.
Dort said, "I just basically alerted them that there was someone in the water. And they knew what to do. They were right there in position, ready to go."
The crew jumped into action, throwing in a rescue cradle. After some touch and go moments, they pulled the man to safety.
"We were scared because he had his eyes open but they were rolling back already, so he lost all his strength, pretty much everything," said Romano.
Local
The crew didn't realize at the time that the man was a suspect who was trying to flee police.
The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital, and he's in police custody.
