NYPD transit cop rescues two people from burning L.I. school bus as 2-year-old son watches
BY THOMAS TRACY
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Friday, October 9, 2015, 11:23 PM
- A
- A
- A
JOE MARINO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSNYPD Transit Officer Chris Canale was on vacation on L.I. when he saw an accident on the Long Island Expressway.
Police Officer Christopher Canale may describe himself as just a regular cop, but his 2-year-old son Jake has another name for him — superhero.
The wide-eyed tot was watching Thursday as his dad, a Queens NYPD transit cop, pulled two people from a burning school bus that crashed on the Long Island Expressway.
Canale, 33, was off duty when he heroically raced toward the bus as it went up in flames.
“The first thing I’m thinking, that there’s children inside,” Canale, an eight-year veteran of the force, said Friday outside 1 Police Plaza.
“It’s my biggest fear,” he said. “I have two kids of my own.”
The flames were shooting into the bus’ cabin — threatening to engulf the driver’s feet — when Canale pulled him out, officials said.
“I was just happy that they were able to get out safely,” Canale said humbly.
CHRISTOPHER CANALE/CHRISTOPHER CANALEOff-duty NYPD transit cop Christopher Canale, took a photo after he rescued two people from the burning mini school bus.
Canale, who lives in Farmingville, L.I., was returning from a day of shopping with his wife Jessica and little Jake when the school bus ahead of him rear-ended a box truck that was broken down on the west-bound expressway.
The accident happened near Exit 70 in Manorville, about 60 miles from the Far Rockaway train line that Canale usually patrols.
The cop pulled his car over and jumped into action, NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Fox said.
“Chris did what he does every day, as everyone else for the NYPD does — risk their lives for others,” Fox said. “But he did it off-duty, while he was on vacation.”
Fox said Canale’s desire to help those in need is “the core of the culture of the men and women of the NYPD.”
When Canale — whose twin brother Anthony also works for the NYPD — reached the smoking bus, he quickly learned there were no children onboard. A matron and the driver were inside.
The driver was pinned between his seat and the steering wheel, Canale said.
JOE MARINO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSNYPD Transit Officer, Chris Canale, is joined by the Chief of Transit Bureau at 1 Police Plaza.
“The aide was in the back,” Canale recalled. “I was able to get onto the bus and grab her arm and pull her down the stairs and walk her to safety. I then told the bus driver to hold onto my arm and I was able to pull him out between the steering wheel and pull him to safety — as the rest of the bus went up in flames.”
The bus driver and the aide suffered minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital.
The expressway was shut down for about 20 minutes as firefighters put out the blaze.
A day after the rescue, little Jake and his 5-year-old brother Christian were still hailing their dad as a hero.
“They are very proud of me,” Canale said.
But little Jake is still shaken up by what happened, Canale said.
“He keeps bringing it up,” Canale said. “He keeps saying, ‘The bus is leaking … it’s leaking.’ I guess he meant it was on fire.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered