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NYPD Releases Bodycam of 30-Foot Manhole Rescue in Washington Heights

Audio in the clip highlights rotted ladder rungs, underscoring safety risks in the tunnel where the worker fell.

Overview

  • The incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. on November 20 near West 170th Street, with some reports identifying the site as Bard-Haven Towers.
  • NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers set a tripod and winch, lowered an officer and an FDNY firefighter, and secured the worker to a backboard for extraction.
  • EMS transported the 35-year-old to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in stable condition, and he was treated and released.
  • The NYPD posted the footage on X with the message, “One unexpected drop. One expert rescue,” crediting coordination with FDNY.
  • The video includes on-scene remarks about rotted rungs near the bottom of the tunnel that complicated the descent, with no further investigative updates reported.