Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno jumped into action after hearing a 37-year-old woman and her toddler were stuck in the Passaic River.<br />“The mother was screaming. She said she couldn’t hold the child anymore,” Foligno recalled.<br />“I couldn’t sit still and do nothing.”<br />The hero cop used a shovel and a plastic kayak borrowed from a nearby gas station attendant to propel himself about 75 yards on the iced-over river to reach them.<br />“I jumped in the kayak and basically clawed my way to the center and was able to get to them.”<br />Foligno managed to get the woman and child out of the frigid waters and into the kayak to wait for rescuers.<br />By that point, the tot was going in and out of consciousness, police said. Her mom was panicked and repeatedly screamed “We’re going to die!” as she clutched the chief.<br />“While we were waiting I laid on top of them to get some body heat and the child had started to blink,” Foligno said.<br />About 25 minutes later, firefighters arrived on scene and one of them put on a wetsuit to make his way into the river and pull the kayak to shore.<br />The mom and daughter were rushed to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson and were expected to be OK.<br />It’s still unclear how the duo wound up on the river, but police are investigating.<br />“The good news is they are safe and we are thankful for that,” Foligno said.
