A Heroic Subway Rescue

NewYork-Presbyterian security officer Eddie Ramirez was heading home from dinner on a February night, and waiting for the train at the 23^rd Street subway station, when he heard a commotion and saw a group of people peering over the edge of the platform. Ramirez went to the scene and saw a man had fallen into the tracks. That’s when the off-duty officer sprang into action.

After making sure the area was safe with no incoming trains, he jumped into the tracks to check on the man and lifted him to safety. “I saw somebody that needed help and I just reacted,” Ramirez recalls. “I don’t consider myself a hero. I just did what I felt like somebody should do or what I would like somebody to do if that was my family member down there.”

Ramirez, 39, who has worked at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center for nearly a year, waited with the man on the platform for paramedics to arrive and made sure he got the care he needed. The incident was captured and shared on social media as an example of a Good Samaritan stepping in to help a stranger in need.

“Eddie Ramirez is somebody who represents our values; somebody that we are proud to say is a NewYork-Presbyterian employee,” says Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. “[To put] your life on the line to save another human being — thank you Eddie. Thanks to all of our security officers every day.”

“Eddie demonstrated who our officers are and how often they go above and beyond to help someone,” says Diego Rodriguez, NewYork-Presbyterian’s vice president of security and emergency management. “His commitment and dedication to our security mission on and off the field is truly exemplary.”

Since the rescue, Ramirez has received many notes of admiration and gratitude from colleagues and hospital leaders. He’s been touched by all the attention. “The response is overwhelming,” says the Queens native. “I was just trying to do the right thing. I’m happy to have helped and to be a part of such a great organization that acknowledges the team even outside of work. I’ll continue to represent NewYork-Presbyterian to the best of my abilities.”