Bodycam shows two Cambridge police officers jumping onto the tracks to save a man who had fallen
By: -----
Cambridge, MA - A daring rescue by police officers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was caught on their body cameras.
The officers were on patrol in Central Square and jumped onto the tracks at the Central MBTA station after a man fell down onto the track bed. This all happened with less than a minute to spare, according to a police.
On Dec. 27, the two Cambridge police officers ran down the stairs and onto the Red Line platform after a bystander ran up to them, reporting someone had fallen onto the tracks. Their body cameras were rolling.
"The nearest train is in one minute," an official can be heard saying in the footage.
Cambridge Police Officers Miguel Mijares-Munoz and Deric Maddaleni jumped down into the pit where the tracks run.
"Go," Maddaleni could be heard telling his partner on the recording. "Let me grab him," said one of the officers.
"This individual somehow lost their balance, was too close to the edge, fell in," explained Sgt. Bob Reardon, public information officer with the Cambridge Police Department. "They sustained an injury. It is a decent drop from the platform onto the actual rail bed."
Reardon said when the officers got down on the platform, there was only one minute left until the next train came.
"The third rail power on the train was still active, and they weren't sure if they'd be able to get a message to that train in time to stop it before a tragic incident happened," Reardon said. "They were able to physically pick him up and put him onto the platform, and then escape the active railway before there was any train coming in."
Both officers were recognized for their bravery during a police roll call. The department says this is yet another reason why body cameras are so valuable in this line of work.
"There's a lot of great work that goes on," said Reardon. "In some cases, they have to, as in this case, put themselves in harm's way. Certainly, with the train coming and the third rail power active, that is not a safe place to be."
The man who fell suffered minor injuries and was expected to be OK.