Firefighter Travis Langan was reunited with a woman he rescued during Wednesday night’s severe flooding on Wednesday night.
Langan, a fireman for Ladder Company 123, was driving home from work on the Jackie Robinson Parkway when he observed P.S 81 Principal Carmen Pinto taking on nearly a submerged amount of water that was reaching the roof of her car.
Langan was able to break the Tesla’s skylight with his bare hands and a Yeti cup while on his way home from work.
PS 81 Principal Carmen Pinto recalls being trapped in a flooded car with seconds to spare and Firefigher Travis Langan coming to her rescue with seconds to spare.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell 
PS 81 Principal Carmen Pinto recalls being trapped in a flooded car with seconds to spare and Firefigher Travis Langan coming to her rescue with seconds to spare.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Firefighter Langan said, “I saw her face first up against the sunroof, and I just started punching, punching my way through,” said Langan. “I started working on the glass, and I’m able to get ahead through, and I’m very grateful that she came out alive. ”
Pinto said, “I was like, Oh, my God, he’s gonna hurt his hand. He’s gonna hurt himself. But I was also like, Oh, my God, I’m running out of space to breathe.” In hindsight, she wishes she had something better to break the window with.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani thanked Langan, who has served six years with the Fire Department, noting that even while off-duty, Langan made a life-saving decision.
A still image showing the daring rescue.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell 
Mayor Mamdani thanked FDNY Firefighter Travis Langan (right) who saved prinicipal Carmen Pinto from a flooded car.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Mayor Mamdani thanked Langan for his service and said, “Travis was off duty, but I know that I am here at a headquarters of so many New Yorkers, who in that term does not mean much. A room full of people whose commitment to this city is not measured by hours in a day, but, frankly, by a lifetime of service. Travis, you punched the sunroof with his bare fist, made a hole, and pulled Carmen from the flooding car. Carmen is with us today, safe and dry, in her favorite Jaylen Brunson T-shirt.”
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said, “Pinto, who survived the incident, felt that the injured receive care, and our city is made sacred, each and every day. And thanks to that service, a school still has its principal. Three children still have their mother, four grandchildren still have their grandmother, a community still has its life, and the New York Knicks still has one of their biggest fans. It is also important to remember to have something to break glass or cut away seatbelts with in case of an emergency. We got very lucky with this situation.”
PS 81 Principal Carmen Pinto recalls being trapped in a flooded car with seconds to spare and Firefigher Travis Langan coming to her rescue with seconds to spare.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell 
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore praised Firefighter Travis Langan (right) who saved prinicipal Carmen Pinto from a flooded car.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell