An upper West Side father who repeatedly warned his kids about subway safety jumped to the tracks and rescued an unconscious woman Saturday as his three screaming children watched in disbelief. Click below to read the rest of the story.
“I guess it’s mildly ironic — to do the exact opposite of what I’m preaching,†said Greg Wetzel, 40, a few hours after the dramatic 12:45 p.m. rescue.
Wetzel hoisted the woman to the platform, where other straphangers helped pull her to safety just 60 seconds before an uptown No. 1 train roared into the station.
“He didn’t hesitate,†said witness Trish O’Sullivan. “The guy was really amazing. This guy was like a real hero.â€
The upper West Sider was out with his sons, ages 6 and 7, and his 4-year-old daughter when they went into the W. 72nd St. subway station.
He spotted some commotion out of the corner of his eye, and walked down the platform to see the woman lying on the tracks below.
“It was just the right thing to do,†he said of his heroic decision. “If you see someone on the tracks, it’s hard not to do something.â€
The 50-year-old woman was taken to Roosevelt Hospital.
The self-effacing Wetzel said the incident probably reinforced the message of subterranean wariness better than any lecture.
“The lesson, I guess, is they saw first-hand what happened,†he said. “That should give them a healthy fear of the platform.â€
DN
