Swift action by Staten Island Ferry crew saved man, 26, who went overboard

Editor’s note: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— It was at approximately 8:11 a.m. on Sunday when the alarm sounded: A 26-year-old man jumped from the MV Samuel I. Newhouse as it approached the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island.

After receiving the report, the crew of the ferryboat swiftly leaned on their extensive training and jumped into action, each throwing flotation devices into the water to mark roughly where the man entered the harbor. Simultaneously, the pilothouse team — Capt. Ryan Burtchell, pilot Vinny Pedulla, first mate Joe Esposito, and mates Ken Smith, Tim McCan and Perry Iyampilla — reached out over radio to the U.S. Coast Guard and all vessels in the area to be on the lookout for a person in the water, and coordinated with the NYPD to deploy a hopper unit.

“They were able to spot the person,” Ken Smith, the union official for the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association Union, recounted to the Advance/SILive.com just 24 hours after the incident. “As Captain Burtchell was navigating the vessel back over toward the person, the harbor unit also was coming across from Brooklyn. Captain Burtchell was able to tell the NYPD’s hopper unit exactly the position they had a visual on the man so the department could grab him out of the water.”

According to Smith, the crew of the Newhouse and the other vessels are well-prepared for moments like these.

“They take their drills seriously and have a well-structured policy on how many drills take place,” Smith said. “I can honestly tell you from my years of experience on it, we have a very high success rate of a rescue if we’re notified immediately or if it’s seen immediately.

“Our main goal is just get the person out of the water,” Smith continued. “It doesn’t matter who’s pulling them out. We just need the person out of the water safely.”

He added every crew member is trained in both CPR and using a defibrillator, and play an important role in a rescue.

Stay vigilant

Pulling from his years of experience, Smith said that usually when someone goes overboard on the Staten Island Ferry’s vessels, it’s unfortunately intentional, and sometimes happens in streaks.

“I believe it was last year. We had three in a week. Obviously, now this is the second in a week and a half,” said Smith, referring to the 17-year-old Staten Island high school student who reportedly jumped off the Staten Island Ferry on May 31 and has yet to be located. “But like I said, is if the crew is notified immediately, the success rate is very, very high.”

As far as safety is concerned, Smith suggests that each passenger stay vigilant by looking out for one another and reporting any suspicious activity to the crew or police on board.

“If passengers see something that’s unusual, definitely notify the crew member,” advised Smith. “Sometimes behavior does stick out and the crew will monitor, follow and grab the person at the rail.”

The 26-year-man who jumped off the Newhouse on Sunday was transported in stable condition NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn after being pulled from the water, according to a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The city Department of Transportation, which operates the ferry, is investigating the incident.

Editor’s note: The Advance/SILive.com typically limits reporting on suicides to those that occur in crowded public places, involve public figures or, in special circumstances, where there is a larger public impact. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.