Crime & Safety
Nanny Rescues Child, 3, From Trench After 15-Foot Fall Into Freezing Water
'I just jumped right in there,' 26-year-old nanny said of lowering herself down hole to save child from neck-deep water.
A nanny rescued a 3-year-old child from a 15-foot septic trench in a Hackettstown backyard Monday afternoon.
Alison Machigua was walking in the yard of the home in the 200 block of West Valley View Avenue when she fell through the grass-covered hole into freezing water.
Luz Jimenez, 26, heard the screams of the girl's mother, Marlen Machigua, and rushed to the backyard at about 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to LehighValleyLive.com.
With the help of the first police officer on the scene, Jimenez used rope to lower herself into the trench and reached Alison, who was holding onto a metal object and only her head was above water, according to the report.
The police officer was waiting for the fire department to arrive, but Jimenez insisted on going down the hole herself.
"I didn't even think when I was going to do that," Jimenez told LehighValleyLive.com. "I just jumped right in there."
The Hackettstown Fire Department then lowered a ladder into the hole and Jimenez climbed out and handed Alison to first responders.
Alison was unharmed but transported to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center for evaluation.
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