![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/18879972_041326-wabc-garfield-rescued-img.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nCENTRAL ISLIP, Long Island (WABC) — MTA officers helped rescue a cat that may have used up one of his nine lives when it was hit by a train on the Long Island Rail Road tracks.<\/p>\n
An engineer first spotted the cat on the tracks near the Lindenhurst station on Saturday night but assumed he was dead.<\/p>\n
The same engineer passed the cat again around 7 p.m. Sunday and saw the cat move his head.<\/p>\n
After the engineer called for help, the MTA briefly shut off power to the rails so three MTA officers and rescuers could save the cat.<\/p>\n
“The cat was staring at us the entire time, we locked eyes with him. We wanted to make sure he didn’t run away,” Officer Vikki Machado said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The orange and cream feline has since been named Garfield due to his uncanny resemblance to the cartoon character.<\/p>\n
Garfield was taken to South Shore Feral Care in West Babylon to be checked out.<\/p>\n
MTA Police body camera video shows the moments officers arrived on scene.<\/p>\n
“We needed to turn off the power and get a block so no trains could come through,” Officer Kehoe said.<\/p>\n
Police say a passing train engineer reported the cat sighting to a local cat rescue expert named John DeBaker.<\/p>\n
“The scariest part to me was not knowing what was going through the cat’s mind, if the cat was going to bolt or not,” he said.<\/p>\n
The Vice President of Long Island Cat Kitten solution rescue devised a plan with MTA police.<\/p>\n
“I asked them if they could step in front of the cat so that they would distract the cat so the cat would look at them and not me so I could cover him with the net,” DeBacker said.<\/p>\n
They posted on social media that despite all odds, Garfield is stable and has a veterinary team helping him, including an orthopedic specialist.<\/p>\n
Garfield has a complete fracture of front limb, a broken nose and 2 fractured hips. His injuries are extensive, but DeBacker says with youth on his side,his chances of healing well are good.<\/p>\n
“We were able to give them the help they needed to rescue Garfield and Garfield was saved thanks to them and the efforts of the Long Island railroad and us and it ended up being a good day,” Officer Patrick McCormick said.<\/p>\n
MTA police say there was no service interruption from the rescue.<\/p>\n
———-<\/p>\n
* More Long Island news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a> <\/p>\n * Download our connected TV app<\/a> <\/p>\n
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News<\/p>\n