Bodycam footage captures dramatic rescue at North Carolina beach resort

A police officer’s body camera captured the moment first responders rescued a woman from plunging from the top of a parking garage, according to the Wrightsville Beach Police Department.

The officer arrived at the Shell Island Resort around 1 a.m. Sunday after a member of resort security noticed a woman “behaving suspiciously while walking the parking deck,” WBPD said.

When the officer, Sgt. J. Rich, gets to the top, the woman is hanging on to a barrier wall, slipping further as Rich approaches.

“It appears that she was trying to avoid contact with the police and had severely misjudged the danger she was putting herself in,” the department said.

Suddenly the woman is hanging on with just her fingertips, video shows, and Rich grabs her as the situation turns frantic.

“Sgt. Rich recognized that the woman was holding her body weight up with only her hands and was likely to fall more than 40 feet to the ground,” WBPD said. “As Sgt. Rich grabbed the woman by the arms, she could no longer maintain her grip.”

Another woman’s voice can be heard, screaming “get her now,” while officer Rich yells for help.

A resort security guard rushed to the ledge, grabbing one of the woman’s arms.

A second officer showed up seconds later, and together the three men pulled the woman back up to safety, according to police.

The woman was transported to a hospital.

“WBPD appreciates the good work of the security team at Shell Island Resort and we certainly appreciate the work of all three involved to save a life,” the department said in a statement.