At 10:50 PM on Tuesday, April 12th, the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department was alerted to a report of a vehicle driven into the Croton River near Croton-Harmon Train Station. The initial Water Rescue assignment included units from our department, Croton EMS, Ossining EMS and the Yorktown FD Dive/Water Rescue Team.

Car 2082 (Assistant Chief Karpoff) arrived first, reporting a vehicle drove into the mouth of the Croton River south of the Echo Canoe Launch and was swept underneath the Metro-North rail bridge into the Hudson River. At this point, Chief Munson (Car 2081) arrived and assumed Croton Command and requested additional marine units and divers from Rockland County.

A couple of fishermen were witness to this incident and attempted to rescue the female occupant to no avail. They offered their help and boat to members of the CFD whom took them up on their offer as other CFD members launched our Marine 32. Together, they were able to break out a window and pull the unconscious victim from the frigid water and begin CPR before getting her back to shore and into the care of EMS.

Using an underwater drone, the Yorktown FD Dive Team performed a secondary search of the vehicle to make sure there were no other occupants - which there was not. As Yorktown members worked in the water, a backup team of divers from the Theills FD were standing by. Additional resources from Rockland were canceled enroute. Command released all Mutual Aid with the exception of Yorktown FD and Croton EMS until the vehicle was pulled from the river hours later.

A coordinated effort between Croton Fire, Croton EMS, Ossining EMS, Yorktown FD, Thiells FD, Croton Police, Westchester County Police and the Metro-North Railroad made for a smooth, safe and efficient operation, and on behalf of the Chiefs of the CFD we thank all agencies involved.

Despite regaining pulses enroute to the hospital, the 48 year old female victim from Ossining ultimately passed away about 3 days later.

We would like to take a moment to remind everyone that there is help out there, and should you ever feel depressed and/or suicidal, you should always reach out to someone for help. Call 911 or call 1-800-273-8255 to speak to a professional.