NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Two NYPD officers who jumped into action to thwart two men suspected of trying to set off bombs at a protest on the Upper East Side last weekend spoke Wednesday about their heroic response.
NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards and NYPD Sgt. Luis Navarro said they were running on adrenaline when they spotted the devices with fuses that authorities say the two suspects, allegedly inspired by ISIS, unsuccessfully tried to detonate at the protest near Gracie Mansion on Saturday.
“There wasn’t a lot of thought, there was a real threat, there was a real danger there,” Edwards said, adding he doesn’t even remember much. “Instinct kicked in.”
“We’re always on high alert, but to actually see it, feel it, hear it — it’s completely different,” Navarro said.
Viral photos show the two officers not even hesitating to run towards the danger, with Edwards jumping over a barricade while “pursuing justice.”
“I’m happy that I cleared that barrier,” Edwards said. “Imagine if I fell.”
Navarro calls it the “most extreme situation” he’s faced in his 11 years with the department.
“I don’t think anything’s going to top that,” he said.
The two officers said it wasn't just them but the larger efforts of many NYPD members that kept people safe. "We had a lot of cops there, everyone did their job," Edwards said.