By Suzie Ziegler
LOS ANGELES — Bodycam video shows the moment you have to see to believe: a pilot, who crash-landed on train tracks, being pulled to safety by LAPD officers – seconds before a train cleaved the small airplane in two, sending wreckage flying.
The four officers involved in the unbelievable rescue were hailed heroes. On Saturday, the officers had an emotional reunion with the pilot they saved, reported ABC 7.
“I told them I loved them and thank you for saving my life. A bunch of great, crazy guys,” pilot Mark Jenkins told ABC 7. “They did their duty and I thank them for that very much.”
An appreciation event was held at the Condor Squadron, a non-profit pilots’ association that flies historic WWII fighter planes to honor veterans. The officers even had a chance to fly with the squadron as a thank you for their heroics.
The four officers also took time to reflect on that fateful day in January.
“Hearing the train and feeling the vibrations through the floor, and just hearing crumpling metal, and I was just like, ‘Wow, that was close, that was really close,’” said Officer Christopher Aboyte.
“Being in the moment, it was just, we needed to take action,” added Officer Joseph Cavestany. “It was just kind of second nature.”
Officer Robert Sherock says he doesn’t normally patrol in that area and was in the right place at the right time.
“The timing I think was just impeccable,” said Sherock. “They say everything happens for a reason. I don’t patrol nearby there that day. But I had some other business that put me there, and I think God was on everyone’s side that day.”
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Officer Damien Castro echoed that statement.
“God put us in the place to be at the right time, and we were able to do our job,” Castro said. “And fortunately, everyone made it out OK.”
Jenkins’ plane crashed due to engine failure, according to the report. Jenkins says he doesn’t remember much about the crash, but he knows he had one thing in mind: don’t hurt others.
“I had seconds to make a decision on what to do,” Jenkins said. “I had always known that if I had an engine failure and I wasn’t any higher than the tower, I knew that I had to take evasive action and land somewhere that didn’t kill people. My goal was to land where I didn’t kill anybody. I take that risk, they don’t. And I didn’t have anybody in my way except for the railroad track.”