Gary Yurkovic, Jr.

Gary Yurkovic, Jr., helped to save a woman from falling, New Brunswick, New Jersey, December 14, 2010. At night, a 53-year-old woman was found suspended from a railroad trestle about 25 feet above a paved street in what was reported to be a suicide attempt. Police, including Yurkovic, 27, responded. From the deck of the trestle, officers reached through a hole in the chain-link fence along the edge of the trestle and grasped the woman. In their struggle to keep her from falling, they experienced difficulty maintaining their holds in the 20-degree air temperature. Fearing that the officers were about to lose their grip of the woman, Yurkovic climbed over the fence and lowered himself to a two-inch-wide ledge along its base. Holding to the fence with one hand, Yurkovic reached down and grasped a sleeve of the woman’s jacket with the other. She was uncooperative as Yurkovic held her against the trestle for several minutes. During that time, another of the officers climbed to the top of the fence, reached over, and secured Yurkovic by his clothing. Firefighters responding in a bucket truck lowered the woman and Yurkovic to the ground. Both were taken to the hospital, where Yurkovic was treated for hypothermia. He recovered.