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Overcast Police officer saves woman, son
North Valley Stream home was filling with carbon monoxide
A veteran Nassau County police officer saved the lives of a woman and her young child in North Valley Stream last Sunday, after their home filled with carbon monoxide.
Officer Michael Frank responded to the home on Putney Road shortly after 7:30 a.m. on March 7. Frank knocked on the door and heard a woman groaning on the other side. He opened the door, which was unlocked, and was met by the woman, who, before passing out, was able to tell him that her son was upstairs. “She was disoriented, lethargic,” Frank said. “She went down right at my feet.”
Frank left the door open to give the woman air, and went up the stairs to a bedroom where he found an 8-year-old boy unconscious. The officer carried the boy outside, then dragged the woman to safety on the front lawn. More help came less than a minute later, he said.
After ambulances responded and the two were given oxygen, Frank said that the woman and her son began feeling better. They were transported to Nassau University Medical Center, and Frank spent several hours with them that day.
While there, he learned that the family was struggling financially. The woman is a single mother, he said, and has been unemployed since last January. After an investigation by the Elmont Fire Department, the source of the carbon monoxide leak was believed to be a gas-powered generator hooked into the basement electrical box, which was being used to power the home.
Frank said there was a strong odor of gas as soon as he opened the front door. Nassau County Police Lt. Kevin Smith said the woman had called police, said that her son was sick and mentioned the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning, so Frank was aware of the potential danger when he responded.
A 24-year member of the police department, Frank said he just did what he was supposed to do. “I just reacted,” he said. “I just figured I’ve got to get this boy out. I have children.”
At a press conference on Monday, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano commended Frank for jeopardizing his own safety to help others. Mangano praised Frank for going above and beyond the call of duty.
Sean O’Donnell, commander of the 5th Precinct, said he would expect as much from Frank or any officer. “It’s typical of the great work seen every day by members of the 5th Precinct and the Nassau County Police Department as a whole,” O’Donnell said.
“The bottom line,” Frank said of the woman and her son, “is they’re both OK.”
