A woman who jumped off a bridge and broke her leg was saved by strictly-Orthodox volunteers who had been searching the river for the body of their friend.

A group of men from the New Square village in New York were looking for David Ahronowitz, who died jumping off the George Washington Bridge in January, when they saw a 25-year-old woman make the same leap.

After his group called the emergency services, Scott Koen, 58, guided a police helicopter to where the woman was struggling, only to find that she was unable to climb the rope ladder.

He leapt in to complete the rescue.

"She started to sink," Mr Koen told news outlet NorthJersey.com. "I just jumped in the water and supported her while I got a line under her arms."

Mr Koen was also involved in the "Miracle on the Hudson" rescue in January 2009 as a volunteer firefighter.

After both engines failed on US Airways Flight 1549 and the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the river, Mr Koen helped passengers off the plane and onto his boat.

The search for New Square resident Mr Ahronowitz, who committed suicide on January 22, aged 46, continues.