DADWAGON

In a city where firefighters are the Bravest and cops are the Finest, there’s no shortage of hyperbole. So I shouldn’t be surprised to find out that the Hero Dad of the East River might be something a little, um, less amazing.

I mean, yes, it was sort of miraculous. The dude jumped 20 feet into the frigid East River and saved his 2-year-old daughter. But it was his daughter. A hero is someone who jumps in after someone else’s kid (like the Frenchman who helped both dad and daughter get out of the river). Going after your own kid is called just being a dad. Also filed under just being a dad: turning your back on a toddler while walking up a gangplank. I’ve done equally careless things with my kids, though fortunately they didn’t actually fall into any rivers.

So, I’m just saying: this is not the East River Hero. He’s the East River Dad. Like the Hero of that Other River, Chesley Sullenberger, this guy was actually just doing his job. And he was fortunate he was able to pull it off.