Police: 3 rescued from ambulette trapped in flood waters in White Plains

White Plains police say they responded to a report of an ambulette trapped on the parkway with three people inside.

News 12 Staff

May 1, 2023, 9:18 PM

Updated 524 days ago

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Three people were rescued from flood waters Sunday under the Hamilton Avenue overpass on the southbound side of the Bronx River Parkway.
White Plains police say they responded to a report of an ambulette trapped on the parkway with three people inside. The emergency vehicle was stalled out in about two feet of water as the levels continued to rise, according to authorities.
Authorities say two police officers, the White Plains Fire Department’s Rescue 88 and Town Ladder Six deployed their water suits and jumped into the waist-high water.
They were able to safely pull a wheelchair-bound patient and two caregivers from the trapped ambulette, according to police. All three were taken to the hospital and were ultimately OK.
Those involved in the rescue say it was a full team effort.
"Time is of the essence and thankfully I have a partner, so we formulated a small plan,” said officer Kevin Beall. "My partner dawned a wetsuit and I grabbed the personal floatation devices and a bag of rope."
Beall says after they arrived at the scene and pulled out the two caregivers, the man in a wheelchair was still stuck inside.
"When they can't walk on their own it kind of hypes up our sense of urgency,” said officer Ryan Wiley.
That is when White Plains Fire Lt. Shawn Jimison and his crew showed up. They helped pull the man out as the water rose around them.
"By the time we actually were able to extricate him from the van, it was into the passenger compartment and started covering the wheels of the wheelchair,” he said.
"We don't obviously have that many of these situations, but we are ready for it when it does come,” he said. "When everybody is utilizing their strengths to reach a common goal, we are able to get good things accomplished."