It was an Easter miracle: a dad rescued his 2-year-old daughter after she fell into the East River from a boat at the South Street Seaport. INSIDE EDITION speaks to the man who caught the rescue on tape.
It's the dramatic rescue that was caught on tape. A hero dad clutched his terrified 2-year-old daughter after diving into bone-chilling water to save her life.
It happened at Manhattan's South Street Seaport, one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.
One moment 2-year-old Bridgette Sheriden was with her family on the historic sailing vessel Peking, the next moment, witnesses heard a splash and a blood-curdling scream.
That's when her dad sprang into action.
David Anderson told the Today show he'd looked away from Bridget for just an instant after snapping a photo on board the historic ship Peking.
"One picture, a bad picture, and I deleted it and looked down and she was in the water."
"There was no hesitation, he made long strides like Superman, racing down the platform, over the fence swiftly, right into the water," said freelance TV producer Eric Stringer.
Stringer showed INSIDE EDITION how he shot the photo and the amazing video just seconds after Bridgette's dad, David Anderson, came to the rescue of his daughter.
What happened next was a father's nightmare.
The little girl fell 20 feet off the ship's gangway into the frigid 40-degree East River.
She was sinking fast when her dad plunged off the pier feet first.
"[Anderson] was working out every step of the way, 'What do I need to do next? I need to get ready to go into the water, I need to find my daughter, I know how I'm going to get out of the water,' I mean it seemed like he did something like that for a living," Stringer says.
Anderson wasn't the only hero; there was another guy in the water, an unidentified French tourist who jumped in to help.
Little Bridgette was lifted out of the water and handed over to bystanders. She was then safely returned to her mother's arms.
After the rescue, the toddler sat on her father's lap in the ambulance with her older brother beside them.
It was a super rescue by a super dad.
