By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A seaplane made a hard emergency landing Sunday shortly after noon in the East River near the NY Skyport, prompting rapid response from the NYPD Harbor Unit.
- Eight passengers aboard the aircraft were evacuated and assisted onto a police watercraft by responding officers.
- No passengers sustained serious injuries during the incident or evacuation.
- NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch released body camera footage documenting the rescue operation, characterizing it as evidence of department readiness across all emergency response domains.
- Harbor Unit officers coordinated the evacuation and transfer of passengers from the disabled aircraft to rescue vessels.
NEW YORK — The NYPD Harbor Unit rescued eight passengers Sunday afternoon following an emergency landing of a seaplane in the East River near the NY Skyport.
The aircraft made a hard landing shortly after noon. The NYPD Harbor Unit responded to the scene and positioned rescue watercraft near the disabled plane. Officers assisted passengers in evacuating the seaplane and boarding a police watercraft.
Body camera footage released by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch documented the rescue operation. In the footage, Harbor Unit officers coordinated with passengers to facilitate orderly evacuation from the aircraft and transfer to the rescue vessel. Officers provided assistance to passengers as they moved from the damaged seaplane to the police watercraft.
No passengers sustained serious injuries during the emergency landing or subsequent evacuation. All occupants were safely removed from the aircraft.
Commissioner Tisch issued a statement highlighting the response. “Whether it’s on land, in the air, or on the water, the NYPD is there for every emergency,” Tisch stated.
The incident demonstrates the rapid response capabilities of specialized NYPD water rescue units in handling aviation emergencies occurring on waterways within the city.