Sometimes, it just takes a split second to save somebody’s life.
Being in the right place at the right time is one thing. It’s all about doing the right thing when you find yourself in that situation.
This boy did the right thing.
In Patchogue, New York, a young man was being hailed as a hero when he jumped in for someone without hesitation or double-guessing.
A surveillance video captured the accident.
A car rolled in and was about to park in the area. The parking area was situated right in front of the Great South Bay where cars were overlooking the water.
Then, panic erupted when the car suddenly accelerated forward and over the edge of the dock. The car plunged into the waters and the driver was panicking.
The car started sinking.
The driver was calling for help.
At first, a man got out of his vehicle and inspected what was happening. Soon enough, there was a congregation of people watching the scene unfold.
All the while, the car was slowly being filled with water. Every second wasted means that the water was steadily filling up the inside of the car.
Then, something else made another splash.
After quickly assessing the situation, 17-year-old Anthony Zhongor jumped into the water to save the girl.
“I just hear a huge splash and everyone running toward the dock,” 17-year-old Anthony Zhongor said to CBS News. “That’s what really made me jump in the water, because she was banging on door trying to break it, kind of got scared. So I just jumped in,”
He quickly swam towards the car and pulled open a back door. Then, he pulled the driver out of the car. He swam her to safety and just shortly after the car sank.
He said that he knew how scary it felt.
That’s why he jumped in.
“Dying while suffocating is one of my worst fears, so I couldn’t imagine anyone going through that right in front of me. I feel like anyone would make that decision,” Zhongor told the news outlet.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father can’t express his gratitude enough.
Charlie Samolinski called Zhongor a hero after he saved his 18-year-old daughter’s life. He said that what set him apart from others that day was his actions.
A hero our country needs.
“The real hero of the day is Anthony, without a doubt. There were a group of people on the dock. They were filming it. He did something about it,” Charlie Samolinski said to CBS.
Even the Marine Corps lauded his action.
Zhongor enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps and was planning to start his training after graduating from high school.
“I think they are extremely heroic, that they are exactly the type of individuals we look for to serve this country. One hundred percent selfless. That’s exactly what we instruct and teach,” said Staff Sgt. Christian Erazo of the U.S. Marines Recruitment Center told CBS.
The accident transpired because the victim stepped on the gas pedal instead of the breaks.
While his daughter worried about losing the car, Samolinski said that he’d rather lose the car than her daughter.
Watch this teen brave what no one else would in the video below!
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