Miracle On The Hudson

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (AP) ― Ferry boats became rescue boats and a New Jersey restaurant turned into a triage center after an airliner ditched into the Hudson River off Manhattan on Thursday.

Authorities said 58 of the 155 passengers and crew rescued from US Airways Flight 1549 were taken to New Jersey after being pulled from the sinking plane. The rest were taken to New York City.

Though far smaller in scope, the emergency response from New Jersey was reminiscent of the Sept. 11 attacks more than seven years ago when the New Jersey waterfront also became a focal point for rescue efforts.

Witnesses said the descending plane, disabled after a flock of birds knocked out both its engines, was an arresting sight.

Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said he saw the plane going down as he looked out a window at City Hall. "It was an extremely smooth landing in the middle of the Hudson River," he said.

Bill Shrewsbury of Fort Lee, a pilot himself, told The Record of Bergen County that he noticed the plane's landing gear was up as it descended toward the river. "I thought to myself, it's terrorists again." He added: "I could not believe the size of the plane and how low it was."

The rescue work began immediately after the plane hit the water.

Jeff Welz, director of public safety for the City of Weehawken, said emergency medical service workers, firefighters and police boarded NY Waterway ferries that were docked in Weehawken awaiting rush hour and headed to the plane.

At least one ferry that was carrying passengers across the river changed course and went straight to the plane, Welz said.

He said more ferry boats and rescue vessels arrived at the plane less than 10 minutes after the emergency landing.

"People were starting to shiver, but from what we saw no one was unconscious," Welz said. "There was little trauma because he set it down so gently."

A rescued passenger, Joe Hart, 50, an investment firm salesman from Massapequa, N.Y., seconded Welz's assessment, praising the pilot.

"He was phenomenal," Hart said Thursday evening as he stood outside a senior citizens center in Weehawken where some passengers had been taken to wait for a bus back to New York. "He landed it -- I tell you what -- the impact wasn't a whole lot more than a rear-end (collision). It threw you into the seat ahead of you."

The passengers were "pretty collected" and the ferries got there "pretty damn quick," Hart said. He said he went out on the wing and waited as the water rose past his knees.

"I knew I was safe. The big guy upstairs didn't want me," he said.

Welz said 58 people were transported to Weehawken, initially to two spots in Port Imperial ferry terminal and Arthur's Landing restaurant.

Michael Haimowitz, executive chef at the restaurant, said about 20 passengers and 60 rescue workers were taken there. "My tablecloths have become blankets. My chef's coats have become changes of clothes," he said.

Coffee and soup were in high demand. "Whatever they want, we're making," Haimowitz told the Record.

"The gamut ranges from people smiling and happy to be alive to some looked a little stunned," Welz said. "I'm looking at them and saying, 'I don't know if I'd look that good if I went through what they went through."'

Welz said none of them had life-threatening injuries, but some suffered hypothermia. Others had bumps and bruises.

By 7 p.m., the passengers had been taken from the riverside spots to area hospitals and shelters.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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