Rescue Woman From River

If you ask the New York Daily News... New York Police aviation officers Buonanno and Dennis DeRienzo are heroes, plain and simple.

The two officers were on patrol over Manhattan on July 5... flying about 1,400 feet above the site where the World Trade Center once stood. That's when they got a call from dispatch... someone had seen a body floating in the rain-swollen Harlem River.

The two flying cops responded quickly... arriving over the spot where the body had been spotted in minutes flat. At first, they couldn't find anyone... but a 911 caller insisted there was someone floating in the river.

Shortly after, Buonanno saw a face in the water. It was 61-year old Iris Jimenez.

Buonanno turned control of the Agusta A119 over to DeRienzo, the department's chief pilot. He realized Iris was so exhausted from trying to keep her head above water that she wouldn't last much longer.

Buonanno stepped out on the helo's skid as DeRienzo moved the aircraft to within inches of the water's surface. Iris, however, was so tired she couldn't raise her arms so Buonanno could grab her.

The woman in the water and the helicopter just inches above continued to move downstream... and now, terrain was becoming a real problem. With rocks and trees and powerlines looming ahead... Buonanno did the only thing he could -- he grabbed the woman by the hair and shoulder.

But he couldn't haul her in. So Buonanno inflated his life vest and jumped in the water. He held onto the woman and swam to shore... where his fellow police officers helped him up the slippery rocks and got the woman to a hospital.

For this, the Daily News named Officers Buonanno and DeRienzo its heroes of the month... for their skilful aviating and their willingness to put themselves into harm's way to save a life. ANN would like to add our kudos to that, as well... although the officers might say it was simply 'all in a day's work.'

FMI: www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/