amny.com32%
Quick-thinking steakhouse owner rushes to save woman in distress in East River 4%
By Barbara Russo-Lennon23%
8/2/2026, 4:23:30 PM
Keywords: Steakhouse Owner, Rescue, East River, Woman, Distress, Randalls Island, Fdny, Nyc Parks Department
BS Summary: This article contains 13 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Anecdotal, and Unattributed Quote, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 9.6% saturation with 55 hits. Analysis detected 293 faulty-reasoning hits from 575 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 12.9% and a BS Rank of 4% (24,572 of 25,473 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 96.50% of the article peer group.
The owner of a gourmet restaurant in Manhattan never expected to become part of a rescue story , but that is exactly what happened when he helped bring a distressed woman to safety who had almost drowned in the East River on Wednesday.
Agron Selimaj, 46, owner of Club A Steakhouse in Midtown, had just dropped his son off for soccer practice at Field 82 on Randall’s Island at around 10 a.m. on July 29 when the incident unfolded.
His wife and daughter accompanied him on the ride, but were in a different part of the island when he suddenly heard piercing screams for help coming from the river.
With the soccer field relatively close to the water, a woman holding on to a rocky edge along the East River spotted Selimaj from afar and pleaded for help.
He rushed toward the water, where he saw the woman holding on for life, struggling to stay above the water’s surface.
He immediately sprang into action, knowing the woman could be swept away by the river's notoriously strong currents at any time.
“I took my keys, my wallet, my phone and threw them on the ground,” Selimaj said, adding that he was prepared to jump into the water if need be.
“I started walking as fast as I could toward her.
I’m walking along the edge, making sure she’s not actually drowning at that moment.”
Selimaj’s wife was now in the area and immediately called 911.
In the meantime, he went down on the ground to hold on to the mostly submerged woman, ready to pull her to safety, but she was too afraid to let go of the edge.
Selimaj repeatedly asked the woman to let him pull her up, but she was still too fearful to let go.
He offered her comfort and tried to calm her down, all the while holding her tightly as they waited for help from emergency personnel.
“This whole time, I’m just trying to calm her down, asking her what her name is, where she lives,” he said.
Soon, other good Samaritans arrived to assist Selimaj in rescuing and comforting the woman.
She told Selimaj she usually walks her dog on Randall’s Island, but this time she went by herself.
She could not remember how she fell into the water or even how long she was there.
“I kept telling her, ‘don’t worry [her first name], help is on the way,” he said.
“We’re here for you.
Right now you’re stable.’
She said she couldn’t swim and she was scared and tired and cold."
Moments later, first responders from the FDNY and NYC Parks Department arrived.
As Selimaj and other rescue workers worked to bring the frightened woman to shore, an FDNY member entered the river with a ladder to help guide her onto land.
Rescue workers brought the woman to a nearby bench for evaluation. amNewYork contacted the FDNY to ask about the woman's condition and is awaiting a response .
The whirlwind rescue lasted about 30 minutes, from the time Selimaj saw the woman to when she was pulled to safety.
Meanwhile, the Selimaj family said they are incredibly proud of his heroic actions.
"I believe in good, in helping someone when you can," he said.
"I believe anyone would have done the same, I would hope.
I'm glad I was there at that exact moment."
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