Two people were rescued from the icy waters of the Hudson River, in Yonkers, on Sunday evening, after their two man aircraft crashed.

A man (43) and woman (39) were rescued by eyewitnesses Danny Higgins, an off duty police detective, his son Dann (12), John Twomey, and some other off duty cops saw the plane crash as they returned from an ice fishing trip.

Higgins realized that although they were wearing lifejackets, their time for survival in the icy water was limited. As the plane sank the victims were being dragged downstream by the tide.

He told ABC Local news, “They were drifting pretty quick…And if we didn't get out there quick enough, well, let's just say we're glad to get there quick.”

Higgins and his son used the boat from the Hudson River Pilot House and picked the crash victims up out of the water. He estimates they were in the water for 30 minutes.

Dann Jr said, “The lady was mumbling some stuff, I don't know what she was mumbling about.
“They were both very stiff. They were numb, very cold."

The victims were treated for hypothermia and were listed as “stable” at the Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman told the New York Daily News that the plane, a Piper PA-32, plunged into the Hudson at 5.25pm on Sunday. The pair had left Trenton-Robbinsville Airport in New Jersey.

The plane wreckage will be recovered from the river and a full investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.

The crash brings to mind the 2009 crash landing case, nicknamed “The Miracle on the Hudson,” when Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in New York after striking a flock of geese. All 155 people aboard survived.

Here’s the Pix 11 report:

Here’s the audio of the 911 call from the plane: