Hero of the Week: Firefighters Rescue Man From a Connecticut River

It's summertime, and that means rescues on the water!  Firefighters from New Haven, Connecticut brought out the boats to rescue a man who apparently fell or jumped from a bridge into a river. One man who lives near the river jumped into action to help, too. 

(Photo: Rescuers pull a man to safety by the Ferry Street bridge. Credit: Ian Christmann Photo

Firefighters Rescue Man From Q River; Kayaker Races To Help, Again

by Laura Glesby, New Haven Independent, July 1, 2026

Rescuers pull a man to safety by the Ferry Street bridge. Credit: Ian Christmann Photo Ian Christmann was working from home on Wednesday afternoon when he and his son heard shouting from the Fair Haven side of the Quinnipiac River.

“We grabbed our binoculars [and] looked out the window,” Christmann said. Behind the fence lining the Quinnipiac River Park seawall, “it looked like someone was holding a jacket over the railing. And there was someone in the water trying to grab on.”

So for the second time in his life, Christmann raced over to his kayak, scooped up a few life jackets, and began to paddle to a person in the river trying to stay afloat.

Christmann launched the kayak from his neighbor’s backyard on the Fair Haven Heights side of the river. By the time he paddled across to the Fair Haven side, by the Ferry Street bridge, the New Haven Fire Department had arrived.

(Photo: Rescuers pull a man to safety by the Ferry Street bridge. Credit: Ian Christmann Photo)

At around 2:30 p.m., the Fire Department deployed 18 firefighters on two rescue boats to reach the man: a larger boat, Marine One, that typically stations in Long Wharf and a smaller boat, Marine Three, that’s located in Fair Haven.

The Fire Department’s Marine Three boat came to the rescue. It was the smaller boat, Marine Three, that was best positioned to navigate the river and reach the man first.

“They did a very good job at executing the rescue,” said Fire Chief Dan Coughlin. He praised Battalion Chief Wayne Vetre, who “made sure he covered all of his bases” by sending two boats with different capabilities to the scene.

According to Coughlin, the man — about 40 years old — had jumped off of the Grand Avenue Bridge. He may have been inebriated or otherwise cognitively impaired, Coughlin said; it wasn’t immediately clear what the circumstances were.

“Once he was in the water, he was having trouble staying afloat,” said Coughlin. “You get some really bad currents in that area.” After he was rescued, according to Coughlin, the man was taken to the hospital for “minor injuries.” Ascertaining that he didn’t need to assist, Christmann documented the rescue in photographs.