A Tamaqua police officer rescued a woman trapped inside a vehicle that careened into the Little Schuylkill River near Pine and East Elm streets at 12:37 p.m. Thursday.

According to police, Officer David Krape descended a 12- to14-foot embankment and walked approximately 28 yards through chilly waters to reach a 42-year-old Hazleton woman who was stuck inside an overturned 2012 Nissan Rogue.

Police said the woman was hanging upside down in the vehicle, trapped by her seat belt. She was conscious and alert and the vehicle’s airbags had deployed.

According to police, Krape used a baton equipped with a window breaker to shatter the passenger side window. He then used his duty knife to cut the seat belt and free the woman.

Police said Krape pulled the woman by her feet from the partially-submerged vehicle. About 6 to 8 inches of water was flowing through the interior and the vehicle’s doors were inoperable.

Krape, along with firefighters from the Tamaqua American Hose Fire Company and Tamaqua Ambulance personnel, guided the woman to an area where two 12-foot roof ladders had been positioned for safe evacuation, police said.

Krape then climbed the ladder with the woman secured piggyback style. Fire and EMS personnel stabilized the ladder and assisted at the top to safely transfer her to a waiting ambulance.

The woman was transported to St. Luke’s Miners campus with unknown injuries.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.

Krape has worked as a full-time officer in the borough since 2022.