Hoboken Cop Makes ‘Tremendous’ Save, Pulls Parsippany Woman From Hudson River

HOBOKEN, NJ — A Hoboken police officer made a “tremendous save” and pulled a Parsippany woman from the Hudson River on Monday afternoon at risk of his own life, authorities say.

According to the Hoboken Police Department, Officer Tyler Soto of the Hoboken Police Department’s Waterfront and Parks Unit was flagged down in the area of Sinatra Park along the waterfront around 4 p.m. and told that there was a woman in the river.

Soto – a second year officer - soon found the woman in the water a short distance from the rocks at 6th and Sinatra Drive and radioed for assistance, police said.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Hoboken Facebook.

With the help of Sgt. Keith Rotondi and Officer Libon Schelmety, Soto got a water bag and rope and went into the river, eventually managing to pull the woman back to shore. With the assistance of officer Joe Lucignano and Stevens Institute police officer Enrico Gnassi, officers then began lifesaving measures on the victim. She was transported to CarePoint Hoboken University Hospital for further treatment.

Soto sustained minor injuries to his right hand and wrist during the rescue, police said.

After the rescue, Hoboken police began attempting to identify the victim, and described her as a Hispanic female about 5 feet 4 inches, between the ages of 40 and 50, with dark hair and a thin build. She had two rings, one on her left index finger, silver with gold trim, and a second on her right middle finger which is a silver colored ring with a small design. She was wearing a black blouse with while polka dots and black stretch pants. A black key fob with a silver Honda emblem was also found at the scene, along with the victim’s shoes, which were white and with gold trim.

Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante said that the lifesaving measures of the combined officers – in addition to Soto’s courageous response – helped to resuscitate the woman and save her life.

“This was a tremendous life save by Soto, who was on patrol along the waterfront and acted quickly and proficiently and put his own life at risk”, Ferrante said.

Hoboken police issued the following statement on Tuesday, alerting the public that the woman has been identified and reunited with her family.

"Today, during the early morning hours, members of the Parsippany Police Department were able to provide information that proved helpful in positively identifying the woman as a resident of their town. Detectives from our Investigation Bureau were able to speak with family members and were able to assist in reuniting the family."

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Google Maps