A lobsterman became a hero Thursday when a fellow citizen was in dire need of help in Portland, Maine, according to reports.
Local law enforcement officers said not long after the driver drove into Casco Bay that afternoon, Manny Kourinos, who was on a nearby lobster boat, jumped in to aid first responders in the rescue, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
“I’ve been diving for 20 years now and never been in that circumstance where I had to recover someone from underwater,” Kourinos explained.
An image shows the scene where the lobsterman helped in the rescue:
Prior to the rescue, Kourinos was preparing his gear for winter when sirens went off. He and his assistant, Mike Green, saw what was happening and decided to take action, the Sun Journal reported Friday.
Authorities confirmed the 2015 Mustang had been stolen hours before. However, it was now sinking in the water with someone trapped inside.
Emergency crews at the scene had already gotten into the water and were waiting for divers to arrive. Therefore, Kourinos quickly got into his diving gear to expedite the rescue.
“I reached out and grabbed the individual. I pulled them through the window and swam them up to the surface and passed them over to the people in the water,” he recalled.
Crews performed CPR and resuscitated the woman before taking her to a hospital for care. She is now in stable condition, the Journal article said, noting Kourinos is extremely relieved at the outcome.
He also dove in a second time to make sure no one else was inside the vehicle and to retrieve information for law enforcement officers investigating the case.
Kourinos said he only wants good things for the individual whom he hopes is able to fully recover in the near future.
“I think it was part of God’s plan for me to be there at that time to save her,” he stated of the incident.