Exclusive | Party Pirate jet skiers make dramatic rescue of teen who jumped from Brooklyn Bridge

Party Pirates to the rescue.A rowdy group of jet skiers went from sometimes-villains because of their antics to heroes Wednesday when they rescued a teenager who jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge.The NYC Pirates plucked the 19-year-old in the critical seconds after he smashed into the East River and handed him off to police — who were able to bring the boy to the hospital in time to save his life.The nail-biting video of the rescue caught the moment the Pirates carefully braved the choppy waters to deliver the injured teen to the rescue boat.One skier even tossed his riding buddy into the sea to make the hand-off smoother.“It was like, ‘holy shit, did that just happen?’ It was pretty crazy,” James Reichelt, the president of NYC Pirates, told The Post.Reichelt, who goes by “Whiteboy,” said he and his friends were simply in the right place at the right time.The crew — which is behind the annual waterway parties near City Island — had been taking advantage of the unseasonably warm day when they witnessed a commotion near the Brooklyn Bridge.They could see a police boat with rescue ropes at the ready racing toward a man standing on top of the bridge — and watched him jump seconds later.
Reichelt immediately sped toward the splash without thinking.“I know from being on the water for so many years that seconds on the water can be deadly,” said Reichelt.The 19-year-old was just about a foot under the water when Reichelt arrived and was shockingly still conscious from the 278-foot leap.“I grabbed him and said, ‘Hold on, buddy, I got you! Don’t worry, I’m here,'” Reichelt recalled.“The minute I pulled him out of the water, you see the fear in his eyes.He was so scared.
And the first thing he said was, ‘I’m sorry,'” he continued.The teenager was clearly injured, but was able to move and was making noise.A second pirate jumped on the back of Reichelt’s jet ski to steady the teen and the pair brought him toward the NYPD Harbor Unit bo...