"We had to pull an elderly woman out of a raft in a sling. She was crying. ... People were panicking. They said, 'Hurry up, hurry up,'" said Vincent Lombardi, captain of the first boat to get to the plane, the Thomas Jefferson. "We gave them the jackets off our backs."

The fire department in New York got the first emergency call at 3:31 p.m. and was on the scene in less than five minutes. NY Waterway ferries shuttling passengers to and from New Jersey deployed within moments.

In total, 14 vessels responded to the scene, with crews trained to respond to people overboard. (article continued below photos...)

Across the river, Weehawken, N.J., police, firefighters and emergency medical crews boarded ferries awaiting rush hour and headed to the plane, minutes after the pilot heroically guided the jet into the water after the engine failed.

The ferries pulled up slowly to avoid washing passengers off the plane with the wake. Some passengers were already standing on the wing as Lombardi came alongside the sinking plane, which was moving swiftly down the river. Other passengers were in inflatable rafts.

Lombardi's crew rescued 56 passengers.

Brittany Catanzaro, captain of the Thomas Kean, pulled 24 people aboard with her crew.

Meanwhile, detectives John McKenna and James Coll — members of an elite emergency police team — commandeered a sightseeing ferry at 42nd Street and headed to scene.

As the vessel arrived at the sinking fuselage, Sgt. Michael McGuinness and Detective Sean Mulcahy tied ropes around themselves that were also tied to their colleagues. They stayed on board as McKenna and Coll entered the plane to rescue four other passengers still inside.

Firefighters responded by boat and collected other passengers. They also anchored the plane with ropes to keep it from sinking or drifting away with the current.

High above, divers Michael Delaney and Robert Rodriguez of the New York Police Department dropped from a helicopter into the water. Fom the air, Delaney said, "it all looked very orderly. The plane's crew appeared to do a great job."

Both divers spotted a woman in the water, hanging onto the side of a ferry boat and "frightened out of her mind," Rodriguez said. "She's very lethargic."

"I see panic out of this woman," Rodriguez said. "She's very cold, so she's unable to climb up."

The two pulled another female passenger from the water as other passengers sat calmly on the plane's flotation devices, waiting to board the ferries clustered nearby.

Both divers climbed onto the wing and entered the plane and confirmed everyone was off.

One victim suffered two broken legs, a paramedic said, but there were no other reports of serious injuries. Fire officials said at least half the people on board were evaluated for hypothermia, bruises and other minor injuries.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson heaped praise on the rescue effort.

"They train for these kinds of emergencies, and you saw it in action," Bloomberg said. "Because of their fast brave work, we think that contributed to the fact that it looks like everybody is safe."

Paterson said it was a miracle.

"I think that in simplicity, this is really a potential tragedy that may have become one of the most spectacular days in the history of New York City's agencies," he said.