Dangling window washer rescued from 12 stories up

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A window washer dangling 12 stories in the air was rescued in Brookline, Massachusetts, Wednesday morning.

The incident happened at a condominium complex on Pond Avenue at about 9 a.m.

"We received a call for a window washer who was trapped on the 12th floor at the rear of the building," said Brookline Deputy Fire Chief Pat Canney.

Douglas Leon was at the dentist across the street when he saw the man hanging.

"I’m getting my teeth cleaned, and my hygienist stops, turns around because the secretary comes over and tells us to look out the window, and the man is no longer standing – he's hanging off the roof with his two hands and he's also trying to use his phone," he said, adding, "I'm pretty sure he called 911 himself."

Canney said the man was too high to use a ladder to rescue him.

"He was dangling and hanging from the rear of the building. He was secured to a safety line. So, he wasn't going anywhere, but he was not able to extricate himself," Canney said.

Brookline Fire called in assistance from the Boston and Cambridge Tech Rescue teams.

"It requires a lot of people, a lot of help, a lot of equipment. We need to make sure we secure them to our equipment, and then we need to formulate a plan to pull him up to the roof or lower him to the floor below," Canney said.

Crews were able to secure the man and lower him safely to a lower floor. Leon estimated the man was dangling for about 20 to 25 minutes before he was rescued.

The man was not injured and did not go to the hospital.