The close call was captured on the officer’s body camera. A man was sitting on the railroad tracks, seemingly unaware that fate was charging toward him, when the quick action of a rookie police officer saved his life.
At around 8:19 a.m. July 19, Officer Kyle Savoia was dispatched to respond to a call which claimed there was a man lying across the railroad tracks. At the scene, Savoia was directed to the man, who was face down and seemingly unresponsive about 200 yards away from Perth Amboy Train Station platform.
Spotting the oncomming train, Savoia began sprinting toward him and calling out, “Hey bud, move!” As the man responded slowly this changed to a more urgent, “Move, move, move, move.”
The man only narrowly avoided the train, which slowed to a stop just inches from where he had been, officials report, sleeping. Police said the train was slowed thanks to dispatchers notifying the NJ transit of the situation.
My Central Jersey has Savoia’s comments after the incident:
“As police officers, our job is to make quick decisions in difficult situations and to act on them,” Savoia said. “At the end of the day, all that matters is everyone gets home safe. Also, at such an early stage of my career, to be able to make an impactful difference in a person’s life is incredible and makes me love what I do every day.”
Kyle and his brother Kevin Savoia Jr. are both second generation police officers at Perth Amboy. Their late father, Sgt. Kevin Savoia Sr., served the Perth Amboy community as an officer for 28 years.
The man’s identity was not revealed and it is still unknown why he was on the tracks. Authorities say the man was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
