The Yonkers Police Department successfully rescued a distressed woman who was attempting self-harm on the top level of a downtown parking garage on Wednesday morning.
Officers from the 4th Precinct swiftly responded to the call before 9:30am on January 31 of a woman in distress. After securing perimeter around the area, Police Officer Sandro Vazquez, ascended to the roof to initiate rescue operations. Officer Vazquez established a connection with the woman, pleading for her safety and urging her to step away from the ledge.
Simultaneously, Emergency Service Unit Officers Michael Mirabella, Jason Philipps, Richard Fernandez, and Brendan Moore set up a rope safety system within minutes. This precautionary measure ensured the safety of the officers in case they needed to attempt a rescue over the ledge.
First Deputy Chief Monaco, who heads the Crisis Negotiation Team, joined Officer Vazquez in the negotiation efforts. After a few minutes, the woman showed signs of leaning backward over the edge. The ESU team sprang into action and prevented a potential tragedy by safely bringing her away from harm. The rescued woman was subsequently transported to a local hospital for evaluation and referred to the Mobile Crisis Response Team .