Page 4 - Sergeant Moriarty News Today

Footing, well end up under the ice under the water, and that was the last thing i wanted to have happen. >> moriarty cant know it yet, but he would soon face his greatest fear. but for now, they inch out into the raging waters, hoping to get the man a life ring. onshore, a rescue worker finds a suicide note from the man now fighting fiercely for his life. but carella and moriarty know nothing about the note, and theyre able to make contact with the victim. >> we wanted to reassure him, tell him ...

But on this day, its the force of men, not nature, thats the biggest miracle of all. an unbelievable rescue mission to save one man who has crept dangerously close to the edge of the falls. the call comes in on march 19th, 2003, 5:08 p.m. sergeant pat moriarty is on duty. hes a 19-year veteran of the niagara falls state park police. >> our radio man yelled down the hall and said, we just got a call from the canadians. theres a man on the ice at terrapin point. >> not a safe place to be. terrapin...

And braces himself. >> pat yelled for them to pull, and ill tell you what. it was the quickest ever i thought i would to go up an embankment, but it must have been the adrenaline on top because we slid out of there in a matter of seconds. >> and minutes later, sergeant moriarty is pulled to safety too. its a chaotic scene, but now both on solid ground, the two men who just risked their lives to save another search for each other in the crowd. >> we shook hands, and we -- it was just an understan...

Above, trying to get a rescue basket close enough for the man to grasp. >> we made four or five attempts to get him with the rescue basket. we got pretty close to him. the problem is with the treacherous air current, it was almost impossible to control the aircraft. >> at some point he said, im running out of power. were not going to be able to do this. >> another failed attempt. the chopper returns to land so the team can come up with plan "c." and in the water, carella and moriarty know time i...

>> when i saw the victim standing almost in waist-deep water right at the brink of the falls, the hair on the back of my neck went up. >> moriarty immediately calls the fire department and the helicopter rescue unit. he also calls the power company upriver and asks them to use their dam to lower the water level. within minutes, niagara firefighter gary carella arrives on the scene. >> where the victim was standing is almost impossible to fathom. it is one of the most dangerous positions that a p...

Hes not on his own anymore. and we start to bring him in. >> as carella and moriarty watch their peers pull the guy to shore, the feeling of relief is short-lived. if standing feet from the edge of niagara falls isnt dangerous enough, almost unbelievably the stakes are about to go up even higher. the man slips under that menacing ice shelf, the very thing moriarty feared most. >> upon being dragged underneath the ice floe, the danger level increased 100%. he now is on a rope that is unable to be...

But he would soon face his greatest fear. but for now, they inch out into the raging waters, hoping to get the man a life ring. onshore, a rescue worker finds a suicide note from the man now fighting fiercely for his life. but carella and moriarty know nothing about the note, and theyre able to make contact with the victim. >> we wanted to reassure him, tell him that were coming to get you, were here for you. >> he was able to yell loud enough that i cant stand here much longer. im cold. and he ...

Co-pilot art litsinger knows he has precious seconds to act and only he can save the man now. but spray is pelting him in the face. and so blindly he tosses the life ring into the teeth of the swirling wind. >> fortunately i got pretty close to him, and the current took it right across in front of his face, about two foot in front of him. >> now its do or die for the man who has held on for so long. >> hes got it. >> he actually had to let go of what he was holding onto to get the ring. it was a...

Thought i would to go up an embankment, but it must have been the adrenaline on top because we slid out of there in a matter of seconds. >> and minutes later, sergeant moriarty is pulled to safety too. its a chaotic scene, but now both on solid ground, the two men who just risked their lives to save another search for each other in the crowd. >> we shook hands, and we -- it was just an understanding that only people that do this can understand the feeling of gratitude and pride in the job we had...

Shore, the feeling of relief is short-lived. if standing feet from the edge of niagara falls isnt dangerous enough, almost unbelievably the stakes are about to go up even higher. the man slips under that menacing ice shelf, the very thing moriarty feared most. >> upon being dragged underneath the ice floe, the danger level increased 100%. he now is on a rope that is unable to be pulled back because he goes underneath the ice. hes also being dragged by a current that is unbelievable because now i...