Driver rescued from sinking vehicle by off-duty, one-legged lifeguard

BAYONNE, N.J. — An off-duty lifeguard, who happens to have one leg, jumped into the water Tuesday to save a driver from a sinking vehicle in New Jersey.

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Anthony Capuano, 29, a certified swim instructor and lifeguard, wasted no time diving into the water head first to help, WCBS reported.

“I hopped over the fence, I took off my leg,” Capuano told WCBS.

Seconds later, the speedy swimmer could be seen near the sinking vehicle and Capuano managed to pull the panicked driver from it.

“He was like ‘I can’t’ and I was like ‘oh no’ and then I just, I grabbed him,” Capuano said. “He was panicking a little bit and his body was a little locked up.”

Capuano brought the man back to shore as the vehicle became completely submerged. The Hudson County Sheriff’s Office said the driver was not injured, WCBS reported. Investigators are working to determine if there was a malfunction with the vehicle.

“The fact that one of our instructors did what we preach and what we stand for on a daily basis in such a heroic manner, it’s unbelievable,” Robert Staph, Capuano’s boss at British Swim School, told WCBS. “I’m so proud of him.”

Capuano hopes his heroic act inspires others.

“To my fellow amputees out there, I would just say don’t let anything stop you,” he said.


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