Youths Rescued After Jump Off Pump House Bridge

YORKTOWN, NY — A quick-witted contractor working in the Croton Reservoir Wednesday noticed two youths drowning near the Croton Dam Pump House Bridge and rescued them.

Yorktown fire officials said a youth who couldn't swim had jumped off the bridge, and the second person who was along saw the friend drowning and jumped in to try a rescue. Instead, both began drowning.

Yorktown Fire, with Yorktown Police Department, Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and the New York City Department of Environmental Police, were dispatched at 2 p.m.

"By pure happenstance, a contractor who had been working on the water using a small barge, noticed the two individuals actively drowning, and made his way to them. The worker successfully rescued the two individuals and brought them to shore as Emergency Services were arriving," fire officials said on Facebook. "Had it not been for his quick actions, the outcome of yesterday's event would be extremely different. We commend this individual for his quick actions in saving the lives of the two youths yesterday."

While it might be a rite of passage, it's illegal to jump off the bridges, including the bike path trestle bridge, officials said.