Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
Under the circumstances, we find that the hearing court was correct in concluding that the officer, who responded to a radio transmission requesting back-up assistance, was justified in conducting a limited pat-down of the defendant's jacket, which was in his "`grabbable area'" (see, People v. Gokey, 60 N.Y.2d 309, 311) and which contained a visible "bulge", based upon the officer's need to protect himself and his fellow officers from the possibility that the defendant might gain access to it (see, People v. Reed, 123 A.D.2d 333; People v. Jakakas, 110 A.D.2d 660; People v. Tratch, 104 A.D.2d 503). The loaded firearm retrieved from the jacket as well as the spontaneous statements made by the defendant upon discovery of the weapon were properly found to be admissible at trial. Lawrence, J.P., Eiber, Rosenblatt and Miller, JJ., concur.