Off-duty firefighter rescues Brooklyn principal in flood
An off-duty firefighter saved a Bed-Stuy elementary school principal, who became trapped inside her car as the water quickly rose around her.
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A dramatic water rescue saved the life of a Brooklyn principal after heavy ran left streets flooded and drivers stranded on Wednesday.
An off-duty firefighter saved a Bed-Stuy elementary school principal, who became trapped inside her car as the water quickly rose around her.
In a video captured by a witness, the car is seen completely submerged in water, as a man sits on top of the vehicle, helping push the woman out of the sunroof.
That man has since been identified as Travis Langan, a firefighter for Ladder 123 in Crown Heights. The woman he rescued on the Jackie Robinson Parkway was identified as Carmen Pinto.
At a press conference on Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged the bravery of Langan, who never hesitated to take action.
“I didn't grab anything,” said Langan. “I just walked. I was going to say, you know, ‘everybody get in the water, we've got to get to dry land,’ and I asked if anybody was trapped in their car. They told me that she was, and so I asked if anybody had anything to hit the window with. Everybody said that everything's, you know, pretty much underwater. So, I hopped on her roof, and I saw her face pressed up against the sunroof. I just started punching my way through. I'm just very grateful that she came out alive.”
Pinto thanked the firefighter for saving her life, and she says this is a reminder that there are real-life superheroes in New York City.
“Today I am so happy and so blessed that I was sent an angel,” said Pinto. “Travis never thought of himself. He could have just driven home to his pregnant wife and his beautiful daughters, but he stopped, and he saw a situation, and he saw a way that he could help.”
