Updated at 6:43 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia firefighters made a dramatic river rescue Tuesday afternoon in Center City.
It was just before 2 p.m. when first responders rushed to the Schuylkill River at the Market Street Bridge, where they found a person in the water clinging to the wall of the bridge.
A life preserver was thrown down and the individual was able to grab on to it, before two firefighters lowered themselves into the river, using ropes and rigging.
Members of Rescue 1, a special operations team for the Philadelphia Fire Department, lifted the person to safety, to the cheers of passersby.
“Within I would say 20-25 minutes, [they] got them up the wall which seemed literally impossible but it was amazing,” said one woman at the scene.
“I'm a social worker, but even seeing this in real time and just seeing everyone standing together at the same time kind of rooting for this person was incredible to see and to feel at once,” said another eyewitness.
Deputy Chief of Special Operations Joshua McGuorick said members of the department’s special teams are highly skilled.
“Not only do they go through Philadelphia Fire Academy to become a firefighter with the city and gain the experience of a standard firefighter, if you will, but they go on for additional training which is approximately five months of training in various skill sets,” he explained, “from confined space rescue, hazardous materials duty, trench rescue, high angle rescue, working with ropes.”
How the person ended up in the river is under investigation.