The hero, Gabriel Castellanos, happened to be in the area of the incident celebrating his 38th birthday. He never knew that this particular day would become a day he’ll always remember.
Erin O’Donnell, the owner of the victim, went to Manhattan as part of her work with the Brooklyn Irish Dance Company. As a result, she left Harper with her friend.
Wanting to get some exercise, this friend decided to take the dog for a walk. Everything seemed calm until a taxi tried to beat the red light that started all the chaos. Unfortunately, the taxi hit them and sent both Erin’s friend and Harper herself flying.
Thankfully, both did not have significant injuries. But acting on instinct, poor Harper ran away from the danger until she reached the dead-end of the road-the East River. To the onlooker’s surprise, the dog went right in the freezing river.
At first, the onlookers thought that the event unraveling in front of them is no big deal. However, Erin’s friend started shouting for help.
They could see how Harper swam quickly and tried to get away as much as she could. Minutes later, they could determine that she already used up all her strength and couldn’t swim any longer. Everyone in the area panicked and kept asking for help when hero Gabriel stood up and took action.
A Maritime College graduate himself, and with proper water survival training, he grabbed a life vest and dove into the freezing river to save Harper. The onlookers cheered him up, hoping that they would get out there safe.
However, Harper is in so much panic that she quickly swam away from the hero. They spent a couple of minutes until Gabriel finally got near. To his surprise, Harper bit him in the face and kept fighting back!
The ordeal is so tricky for Gabriel, yet he chose to stay and tried everything to save the drowning dog. Soon enough, both got back to the shore.
Luckily, the medical team was there to give them immediate treatment. Though Gabriel had injuries, he’s happy that he saved Harper.
Meanwhile, Harper’s owner Erin, reported that her dog is in the process of healing and adds that she’ll be forever grateful to Gabriel for saving her beloved dog.
“Even if it’s not my pet, I would do it again. 100%.” The hero proudly admits. You can watch Gabriel’s heroic moment here:
Video and photos are courtesy by Erin O’Donnell and CBS New York.