NYPD Officer Secures Dangling Air Conditioner in Manhattan

An Upper West Side police officer climbed onto a residential building's fire escape to help secure a dangling air conditioning unit, preventing it from crashing to the street below, police said.

Officer Brian Dobbins was flagged by witnesses who saw the air conditioning unit dangling by its cord at the building on 76th Street near Columbus Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. last Tuesday, authorities said.

A woman who was installing the unit accidentally let it drop from the window and was gripping it by the cord, police said.

Dobbins climbed onto the building's fire escape and was able to secure the unit after the woman swung it toward him.

The NYPD's 20th Precinct, where Dobbins is assigned, tweeted photos of the ordeal, with a reminder to residents to properly secure their air conditioning units.

"Good Catch PO Dobbins!! @UWS Summer is here & we must secure our AC's please install brackets or this can happen2 u," the precinct tweeted.

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