NEW YORK — Five Metro-North employees were honored for their actions after helping a 3-year-old boy near railroad tracks in Westchester County to safety, the MTA announced.
It was just after 3 p.m. on April 6 when an engineer saw something near the train tracks north of Tarrytown as he was driving a southbound Hudson Line train, according to the transit agency. He quickly realized that he was a small child and immediately alerted nearby train crews.
Another engineer and an engineer trainee, both aboard a northbound train, slowly approached the area and shortly thereafter saw the boy on a track near and then on top of an electrified third rail, the MTA said. The train conductor then jumped onto the tracks and ran 40 yards to pick up the boy and haul him on board. The train then returned to Tarrytown station.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother and sister were seen sobbing in a corner and saying that the 3-year-old was missing. A Sleepy Hollow police officer brought up a missing child report, and a couple of MTA signal maintainers heard a report on their radios that a found child was at the train station.
The mother and son met at the train station. The boy’s mother said her son has autism and does not speak, the MTA said. It was not immediately clear how the boy got onto the tracks.
“These excellent team members embodied the qualities we want our employees to exhibit while on duty, alert, responsive, informed and helpful,” said Metro-North Railroad LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi. “With superhero bravery and calm demeanor, they prevented a terrible outcome and made sure this little boy didn’t become a statistic. We salute his efforts and compassion, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for his dedication to the people we serve.”
2023-04-25 18:08:53
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