Source: NY Daily News
A New York City transit conductor went above and beyond the call of duty last week by taking down a suicidal woman, likely saving the lives of her and her 9-year-old child.
In a
story reported by the
New York Daily News, conductor Warren Cox explains how he came upon scene.
He was working in the 59
th Street-Lexington Avenue subway station last Friday when several riders informed him of a woman who was clutching a child and ranting about killing herself while standing near the platform edge.
Source: Smithsonian
When he approached the woman, 43-year-old Gabriella Georgescu, she told him that she was going through a difficult time. Intially Cox tried calming the woman by telling her, “…everybody goes through difficult times, trying times, every so often, but things get better.”
However, it wasn’t until the young girl told him that they had left their belongings, including luggage and cell phones, on the street that the conductor fully grasped the situation. He told the paper, “Only at that point did I realize the severity of what I was witnessing.”
At that point, Cox bravely positioned himself between the two and the tracks. At the same time he alerted police, agitating Georgescu.
He explained, “She went from hugging the child and having her arms around her protectively to now squeezing her arm, shoulder, where people were telling her, ‘Look, stop, you’re hurting the child, stop doing that, stop doing that.’”
The situation ended with Georgescu being arrested and taken to Bellevue Hospital for observation, while her child was taken into the custody of the city’s Child’s Services Administration. As of press time, no charges have been filed.
Cox was lauded by his superiors. NYC Transit president Ronnie Hakim said, “When Conductor Cox saw something odd, he stepped in and did something courageous and saved two lives, including that of an innocent child.”
John Samuelsen, the chief of Transport Workers Union Local 101, also had kind words for Cox. “Saving lives is not in the job description, but that’s what transit workers regularly do, sometimes at great risk to their own safety. We’re proud of Conductor Cox for intervening until the police arrived.”
For his part, Cox deflected any praise, instead focusing on the commuters who initially alerted him to the situation.
“If they weren’t there, I’m loathe to think of what could have happened.”
