15-year-old boy rescued by FDNY firefighters in Queens after leg pierced by metal spike from fence

Lucy Yang Image
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Teen rescued after leg pierced by metal spike from fence
Lucy Yang has details on the rescue in Ridgewood, Queens.

RIDGEWOOD, Queens (WABC) -- When a bizarre accident in Queens left a teenager impaled by a fence, a swift-acting FDNY rescue team helped save his life.

Impaled on a wrought iron fence, a 15-year-old boy walking home from school Tuesday afternoon ended up with a metal spike piercing his left leg.

Firefighters would need the precision of a surgeon to slice through the fence and free the teenager.

"We cut the vertical bars going up. Three of them," said FDNY Lt. Mark Martinez. "Then we cut the horizontal top piece to keep everything in one piece so this way, you can transport it all together so you're not injuring the person more."

The boy and fence were raced to Bellevue Hospital.

The heroes who freed the 15-year-old practiced on band saws just last week. Their skill with it made all the difference on a cold afternoon on Himrod Street in Ridgewood, Queens.

"We started with this smaller one," said firefighter Jason Shoemaker. "Then turn it on. The piece of metal go in here. Rest of team passed batteries to me so we can use them."

From there, they moved to bigger bandsaws until the fence broke off.

"We don't just put out fires. This is an example of what we do every day," said Assistant Chief John Sarrocco. "We're able to extricate the child from the fence and save his life."

Officials believe the teenager was innocently horsing around with his friends after leaving Grover Cleveland High school around 3 p.m.

Eyewitness News was told that one push turned into a shove and suddenly the teenager fell backwards with a friend on top. His left leg was pierced.

Firefighters described the student as incredibly calm during the ordeal, which helped tremendously.

It took about 10 mins to rescue the teenager who is now listed in stable condition.

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