Woman rescued from Fort Point Channel by hero Boston police officer

E-mail | Print | Comments () 12/21/2012 5:03 PM

Bill Greene/Globe staff

Onlookers watched as Boston firefighters left the scene following a water rescue at Ft. Point Channel off Congress Street.

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By Sarah N. Mattero, Globe Correspondent

A woman was rescued Friday afternoon from the Fort Point Channel by a Boston police officer who jumped into the water to save her, authorities said.

Just before 1 p.m., the officer leaped into the water near the Summer Street bridge and swam out to assist the woman who struggling to hang onto a float.

Using a life preserver, he managed to hold her above water until three firefighters jumped in to assist, Boston police said.

The firefighters moved the woman over to a rescue ladder off the bridge, then waited for a State Police boat to arrive, said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald.

“They escorted the woman to a ladder and had her there as the boat came in,” said MacDonald, adding that two of the firefighters were wearing cold water survival suits. “Then they were able to lift her onto the boat.”

The unidentified woman was suffering from hypothermia and taken to an area hospital, along with the three firefighters and police officer, MacDonald said. The emergency personnel were uninjured and have since been released.

The woman’s age and condition was unknown, MacDonald said.

Sarah N. Mattero can be reached at sarah.mattero@globe.com.