September 17, 2008
After Rescue, Missing Teacher Remains in Hospital
Thank goodness for the eagle eyes of Staten Island Ferry captain Christopher Covella. His and his crew's actions led to the rescue of 23-year-old Hannah Upp, a public school teacher missing since August 29.
Covella, who was bringing the ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island, said he noticed what looked like a head bobbing in upper New York Harbor and he got his binoculars for a better look. He maneuvered the boat as closer to her as possible and then deckhands Ephrain Washington and MIke Sabatino, in a rescue boat, approached her. They took her out of the water, and she "took a gasp of air" and started to cry, according to Sabatino who thought she might be dead. Video of the ferry crew after the jump.
The authorities believe that Upp jumped from a pier in Staten Island and "that strong currents pulled her one mile out." Though she told authorities her name was "Hannah" and that her mother reported her missing, WNBC reports she has refused to speak to detectives.
Upp was found wearing the same clothes she was last seen in--a red tank top, a black sports bra, and black shorts. The Daily News reports that Upp may have jumped into the water because she was spotted at a S.I. Dunkin' Donuts. Additionally, Upp apparently used the shower at New York Sports Club locations during her time off the grid--the News says, "Each time, Upp told workers she had misplaced her ID and they let her in. She apparently knew cops were on her tail because she did not go to the same club twice, the sources said." (Upp had left her id, wallet and phone in her apartment.)
| Deckhands talk of rescue near Staten Island Ferry |
Captain Covella credited the ferry's rescue training with their success yesterday.
Upp's disappearance alarmed friends and family, especially since she was due to start a new school year teaching at the Thurgood Marshall middle school. However, she had been seen last week checking her email at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store. Yesterday, a hospital spokesperson said Upp's mother and a friend were visiting her at Richmond University Medical Center.
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How dramatic. :\
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What crime did this woman commit that made it mandatory for police to be searching for her so diligently? Not wanting to talk to your friends or family or go to work is not a crime.
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Manic-depressive drama queen.
Get the Lithium.
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she should be fined for the time and money wasted on her
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#2- her crime was being a white woman.
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Don't say I didn't tell y'all this was not worth the media attention it garnered:
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Must have been the Dunkin' Donuts coffee that pusher her over the edge and made her jump.
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Does this mean that Christopher Covella gets the $10,000 reward?
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@2 -- they weren't searching for her because she committed a crime, they were searching for her because they thought she was a victim of a crime. Even when she started to show up places, there was still a reasonable chance that something criminal had happened.
Of course, once she started to be seen, they were also searching for her because she was exhibiting signs of mental illness. The law allows the mentally ill to be detained for evaluation if they might be a danger to themselves or others. So it's not a crime for her to run away, but it's still a police matter.
If the police had found her, she had been mentally healthy, and she had told them that no crime had been committed against her, then they'd have had no right to detain her for any longer than needed for an evaluation. But as it happens they found her floating face-down in the harbor, so...
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She pulled this before? Well screw her. Maybe she's training for a life of crime, as she's obviously slick at avoiding the authorities and bathing in gyms she doesn't belong to. Someone definitely deserves that $10,000 reward.
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It's not her fault that the media only gives a damn about missing white girls. Obviously most of you commenters have never had any experience with mental illness or else you would have an ounce of compassion. Consider yourselves blessed.
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Actually, I think Dunkin Donuts coffee is good.
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According to the facebook page her friends started, her "previous disappearance" was not intentional but a bureaucratic mix up with the school and her first time dealing with city job type administrative stuff. The friends also said whether she has a mental illness now, they never previously knew of her having mental issues or being bipolar. This may be her first (and most dramatic) instance of illness but it's clear by the way she has been found, she was in desperate need of help and a harm to herself. Her friends have turned up on a lot of these comment sections to correct misinformation (and probably will here again as well) and been very gracious about nasty remarks regarding Hannah and I think that's admirable of them. I'm glad she's been found and I hope Hannah get the help she needs and get a handle on everything she is going through. A lot of times we only hear about a family searching for a mentally ill relative after that person has gone on some insane violent spree. Hannah's search was due in large part to her friends persistence and yes, that she is a young, attractive, well educated white woman. Someday the media will start paying attention to the violent ones that decide to go "off the grid", the ones we only hear about after a stabbing spree.
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Wow, you guys are being a bunch of a-holes today.
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"He maneuvered the boat as closer to her as possible"
As closer as possible?
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[11] I agree. It is not her fault that cases like hers are covered in a way that manner other cases are not. If she is, in fact, ill she deserves some compassion as she likely doesn't have the capacity to understand her actions or their consequences. Once she's presumably back on meds, I'm sure she'll find this totally embarrassing to have her mental health issues played out publicly.
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at least she didn't say two black guys pushed her car into the river with her kids in the back seat.
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Hannah Upp stinks
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she went to the apple store to check her email, then to dunkin donuts, and took showers at the gym? what is she trying to do?
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Could be an excellent candidate for ECT. Just saying.
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Hey, the first day of school can be a very stressful time!