Woman risks her life to save jet skier who fell into frozen creek in Long Island
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Ms Kayla Masotto sprung into action when she saw a man fall into the freezing waters of Poospatuck Creek.
PHOTO: SCREENGRABS FROM FACEBOOK VIDEO/PAUL PELUSO, FACEBOOK/KAYLA MASOTTO
NEW YORK - A woman from Long Island, New York, is receiving praise for saving a stranger who had fallen into a frozen creek at risk to her own life.
Ms Kayla Masotto from Mastic Beach jumped into action when she saw the man fall into Poospatuck Creek near her home on Dec 26.
According to News 21 Long Island, the man was trying to ride a jet ski on a semi-frozen part of the creek.
Ms Masotto told the news outlet that she was watching television in her living room when she saw the man on the ice. She asked if he needed help, but the man told her he was okay.
The jet ski soon started to smoke and then sank, with the man plunging into the icy water.
Ms Masotto then grabbed her paddleboard from the basement and set out to help.
A video, uploaded on Facebook by user Paul Peluso, shows Ms Masotto pushing her paddleboard across the frozen creek until she reaches the man.
She is then seen getting on the paddleboard and pulling the man out of the water.
Men who were at a nearby marina helped, with one throwing over a rope. The jet skier was reportedly pulled to shore just as rescue personnel arrived.
Speaking to News 12 Long Island, Ms Masotto said the man had told her his fingers were not working, and that his legs and hands were numb.
Ms Masotto also told the news outlet that there was “no time to think” and that she “just had to do what (she) could to try to help this man”.
She added that she just wanted to ensure that the man could go back home to his family.
In a Facebook post, the Mastic Fire Department said the man who fell into the freezing water was already experiencing signs of hypothermia.
It added that he “will be okay after being evaluated at a local hospital” and thanked Ms Masotto for her efforts.
Mastic Fire Department Chief Steven Januszkiewicz told News 12 Long Island that Ms Masotto’s quick actions saved the man’s life.
He added that seconds count in such situations, as chances of survival increase the quicker people are taken out of the water.
