Gabriella Georgescu, 43, was standing close to the busy train platform’s edge in New York City, holding on to her 9-year-old child, when subway conductor Warren Cox came to the rescue, the New York Daily News reports.
Georgescu was reportedly talking about killing herself at the 59th Street-Lexington Avenue station in Manhattan when nearby subway riders noticed her rant and went to get Cox for help.
“If they weren’t there, I’m loath to think of what could have happened,” Cox said in crediting the riders.
According to the Daily News, when Cox approached Georgescu, she told him that she was going through a difficult time, while her child told him that they had left their luggage, jackets and a cellphone on the street.
Cox positioned himself between the platform and the two while calling for police.
John Samuelsen, Transport Workers Union local 100 chief, said, “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.”
New York City Transit President Ronnie Hakim praised Cox for his actions in likely preventing a tragedy. “When Conductor Cox saw something odd, he stepped in and did something courageous and saved two lives, including that of an innocent child,” said Hakim.
Georgescu was arrested and taken to Bellevue Hospital to be evaluated. She did not end up getting charged. The city’s Administration for Children’s Services took her daughter into custody.
Read more at the New York Daily News.