Staten Island Woman Talks About Helping Police Officer After Car Crash
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Staten Island mother helped save a police officer in distress earlier this month, when the officer's unmarked squad car crashed into a front yard.
As CBS2's Jessica Schneider reported, Debbie Nocerino said before she could even think, she rushed in to help.
"I was coming home with my groceries, and then it all happened," Nocerino said.
In the incident on the afternoon of Feb. 5, Nocerino saw NYPD Officer Vincenzo Trabolse unresponsive inside a smashed NYPD squad car on Fisk Avenue. He had been on his way to a call when he got into an accident with another car and veered off the road.
But before emergency crews could even get to the scene, Nocerino jumped in to help.
"First, I made sure he was breathing. I looked for a pulse," Nocerino said.
Officer Trabolse was breathing, but he was not moving or talking.
Nocerino noticed the officer's police radio in the car and dialed in for help.
"Hello, there's a police officer that was in an accident. He's breathing, but he's not conscious," Nocerino said in the call.
A dispatcher said other officers would be there as soon as possible.
"I was nervous. I couldn't dial a number," she said. "So with the radio, though, I was able to press a button and then talk."
While Nocerino waited, she just kept talking to the unresponsive officer. She said: "Officer, my name is Debbie. Everything's fine."
"I was hoping he was listening to what I was saying. I was hoping that he heard me, you know, and maybe he would come out of it," Nocerino said.
The officer finally became alert once paramedics arrived, much to Nocerino's relief.
"I did hear from NYPD; they said thank you," she said.
Officer Trabolse was recovering at home as of Tuesday night.
