An off-duty emergency medical technician is being praised for springing into action during the New York Knicks championship parade after a man became unconscious on top of a subway-station entrance.
Simone Kelly, a 24-year-old volunteer EMT from New Jersey, was attending the crowded celebration in Lower Manhattan when she noticed the man lying unresponsive on the slanted structure.
Kelly climbed up to reach him as several other spectators gathered to help. After observing his reduced breathing and pinpoint pupils, she reportedly believed he could be experiencing an opioid overdose.
Someone in the crowd passed Kelly a Narcan kit, allowing her to administer the overdose-reversal medication while checking the man’s pulse and responsiveness. Viral footage showed Kelly and nearby Good Samaritans working together until he regained consciousness.
The emergency then took an unexpected turn.
Shortly after waking up, the unidentified man appeared to grab Kelly and repeatedly lean toward her as though attempting to kiss her. Kelly turned her face away, pushed him back and continued trying to keep the situation under control until professional emergency crews arrived.
The moment quickly spread across social media, where viewers praised Kelly for remaining focused despite the uncomfortable interaction. Many viral posts initially described her actions as CPR, although Kelly’s account indicates that Narcan and responsiveness checks played the central role in reviving him.
Kelly later explained that inappropriate reactions from confused or disoriented patients are unfortunately not unfamiliar to emergency workers. Despite what happened, she said she did not hold the incident against the man and hoped the attention could instead encourage a more compassionate conversation about addiction and harm reduction.
Kelly volunteers with the South Orange Rescue Squad and is studying neuroscience at Drew University. She reportedly hopes to become an emergency psychiatrist with a focus on addiction and mental-health care.
The man was eventually lowered from the structure and transferred to waiting emergency personnel. His identity and condition after leaving the parade have not been publicly confirmed.
While social media focused heavily on his attempted kiss, the larger story was Kelly’s willingness to place herself in a dangerous position to assist a stranger during a serious medical emergency.