NYPD officer from Mahopac saves bleeding vacationer in Colombia
Officer Lucas Alves used whatever he could find to apply pressure, eventually using rope buoys as tourniquets.
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An NYPD officer from the Hudson Valley is being celebrated for a rescue he made while on vacation in Colombia.
Officer Lucas Alves and his family recently took a vacation to the country from Mahopac, but they never expected what would happen on their island boat tour.
The captain invited people to jump in and snorkel above a sunken airplane.
The boat’s motor cut 21-year-old Johan’s legs deeply.
“My training kicked in and I knew I had to stop the bleeding,” Alves said.
He used whatever he could find to apply pressure, eventually using rope buoys as tourniquets.
Johan is still in the hospital in Colombia, already having had two surgeries with more possibly on the way.
The victim’s brother, Douglas Lopez, says Johan is in stable condition, thanks to the Hudson Valley office.
“We believe this was a miracle,” Lopez says. “Thankfully, none of the lacerations affected his immediate organs thanks to Officer Alves and the immediate action he took.”
Johan’s family hopes that he will make a full recovery.
