6-23-18 Cliff Rescue

On Saturday, June 23rd 2018 the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department received a 9-1-1 call transfer from Tenafly PD reporting a female that fell down a cliff at the Greenbrook Sanctuary.  The Greenbrook Sanctuary is a membership nature reserve located within the Tenafly NJ Section of the Palisades Interstate Park off of US Route 9W.  Several officers and a supervisor responded and met with the victim’s family member who reported that the female, Ms. Sammantha Sfreddo, a 31 year old female from Ridgefield Park, fell from the top of the Greenbrook Waterfall area.  Patrols hiked approximately 100 feet down a rugged, steep cliff side to find Ms. Sfreddo laying on the rocks with multiple injuries.  EMS and Paramedics from Englewood Hospital along with the Palisades Interstate Parkway Regional Rappel Response and Medevac were dispatched.  Rescue crews began treatment, packaged Ms. Sfreddo and carried her up the cliffs to an awaiting ambulance.  She was then transported to Hackensack University Medical Center in serious but non-life threatening condition by EMS.  Medevac was unavailable due to weather conditions.  It was later determined that while hiking, she had slipped on a wet/moss covered rock and fell.  Once at the bottom, Ms. Sfreddo called family members from her cell phone who in turn called 9-1-1.

The regional rappel response is comprised of members from Closter EMS and Rescue, Closter FD, Alpine FD, Englewood Cliffs FD, Fort Lee FD, Cliffside Park FD, Fairview FD, Ridgefield FD, Edgewater FD, Ridgefield Park FD, and Palisades Park FD as well as Fort Lee EMS and Paramedics.