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Girl who survived father’s suicide is NYPD officer for a day

Ferni Balbuena was rescued after her father jumped in front of a train with her in his arms last month

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Rocco Parascandola
New York Daily News

NEW YORK CITY — The five-year-old girl who miraculously survived a fatal Bronx subway leap with her suicidal father got to become an honorary officer at NYPD headquarters Friday.

“Today is Ferni Balbuena’s #NYPD Hope Trip,” Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison tweeted, with a picture of the beaming girl clad in a kiddie NYPD uniform.

https://twitter.com/NYPDChiefPatrol/status/1195376601229352962

“Ferni was rescued unharmed ... after her father jumped onto the tracks with her. She found a few minutes to stop by my office before heading over to the Mounted Unit,” he tweeted.

The NYPD Hope Program connects disadvantaged kids, like those who’ve suffered traumas, with the police department.

Little Ferni captivated New Yorkers’ hearts in September when she was rescued — miraculously unharmed — by two good Samaritans who coaxed her out from under a Bronx No. 4 train after her mentally ill father jumped with her to his death.

The girl’s mother said her husband, Fernando Balbuena, was “an angel” who loved his children, but who struggled with depression.

Friday was Ferni’s second visit to One Police Plaza.

Last month, she and the two good Samaritans, Jairo Torres and Antonyo Love, were honored at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

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