A suicidal man survived a 174-foot plunge into the Niagara Falls on Monday night, but has sustained severe injuries, according to police reports.

The man, who has not been identified, jumped into Niagara's Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian holiday Victoria Day while visitors of the falls watched stunned.

A huge rescue effort swept down and rescued the man from Niagara's frigid waters. Nobody seemed to notice or anything. So I was thinking, did they see it? Or was it for real? So it took me ten seconds and I called 911, and then other people ran from the top and they saw the guy floating towards it so a lot of people saw it, witness Constantine Shatallof told WIVB.com

A sightseeing helicopter was initially lowered to the man's rescue, but he refused to grab onto the ropes making the rescue operation extremely difficult, according to WIVB. The helicopter used its propellers to blow the man closer to the shore, where he was pulled out by a rescue team.

He was swimming first when we got there, pretty perky still, and he could have helped up us getting the arm into the sling but he was obstructive, Shatallof said.

The man was flown to the Hamilton, Ontario hospital by air ambulance, where he sustained life-threatening injuries including hypothermia, fractured ribs and cuts to the head and face, according to WIVB. He is currently in stable condition and police are investigating the reasons why he took the plunge.

Niagara Death 2011

Last year, a 19-year-old Japanese student fell to her death at Niagara by climbing over a railing and falling into the water.

The teen was leaning over the railing to get a better view, according witness reports. While rescue workers searched for her body, they uncovered another body of an unidentified, unrelated man. Only one other person has survived the Niagara Falls plunge to this date.

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