A firefighter rappelled down to the base of the Great Falls in Paterson on Sunday and, with the roiling brown water of the Passaic River rushing by, rescued a stranded dog that was trapped on a bushy ledge just feet from the water.
Fire Capt. Scott Parkin, a 25-year veteran and chief of Paterson's Rescue Company 2, managed to lure the dog toward him with some food and then got the dog into a large net-like bag, which other firefighters on a bridge high above the river pulled up. The Great Falls is nearly 80 feet tall.
The dog was relatively unscathed, and was taken to the local animal shelter to be examined before being put up for adoption. The dog had a collar but no tag, and Mayor Andre Sayegh said he named the dog Paterson.