Ferry boat rescues man adrift after boat overturns in Hudson River

OSSINING, N.Y. (WABC) -- Talk about the right place at the right time for one ferry boat that came to the rescue of a man whose boat capsized in the Hudson River.

The man piloting it was adrift in the river, but with a flotation device.

It happened off the Westchester County Village of Briarcliff Manor.

The NY Waterway ferry was traveling from Haverstraw to Ossining and the captain, Mike Baker, heard the Coast Guard radio a nearby tugboat for a rescue.

The captain sprang into action and was able to rescue the man in water with the help of his crew, despite having a ferry full of passengers.

"Anytime there's a life threatening situation you respond immediately, you know and anything we're doing has to be put on hold. It worked out well tonight, we were able to get the guy out of the water within 10 minutes and had him with EMS in about 15," Baker said.

The man was taken by the ferry to Ossining, where the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corp. brought him to Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.

He's now recovering.