LOWER MANHATTAN — A group of children and two adults had to be rescued from the New York Harbor Tuesday after their private boat capsized near Ellis Island — and were brought to safety with the help of a good Samaritan, officials said.
Kevin Suarez, a 20-year-old dock worker for Statue Cruises boat tour company, was stationed on Ellis Island when he saw a 15-foot private boat with six people aboard suddenly flip over at about 2:15 p.m. He dove into the water and swam towards the boat, where he rescued a little girl trapped underwater, officials said.
"I just started reaching in and I was happy to see her alive. She didn't have a lot of time left," Suarez, who works with Statue Cruises, the boat line that takes passengers to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, told ABC News.
A U.S. Park Police Marine Unit and NYPD Harbor Unit quickly made their way to scene, and pulled out two adults, in their 40s, and the children — 11-year-old twins, a 9-year-old and a 5-year-old, along with Suarez. All the passengers were wearing life vests, officials said.
"What he did was really quite remarkable," said Jerry Willis, a spokesman for the National Park Service.
The whole rescue effort took about 15 minutes.
The boating group, as well as Suarez, were taken to Jersey City Medical Center and released, some with minor injuries, officials said.
