Incredible moment woman risks her life to save stranger who fell through frozen Long Island creek

A Long Island woman is hailed as a hero after risking her own life to save a stranger who fell into a frozen creek.

Kayla Masotto, 28, of Mastic Beach, jumped into action to rescue the man who appeared to have fallen from his personal watercraft and was unable to get out of the partially frozen Poospatuck Creek Thursday afternoon.

Masotto was sitting in her living room watching television when she saw the man on the ice as he started getting into trouble.

She ran into her backyard to see if he needed help, but he refused, insisting he was fine.

Moments later, however, Masotto saw the man’s jet ski begin to smoke and eventually sink, prompting her to take action.

‘I was just thinking: I have to go see him as soon as possible. The water is ice cold,” Masotto said.

She ran to her basement, grabbed a paddleboard and ran outside, where she carefully walked across the thin ice toward the troubled man.

“I ended up running to my basement, grabbed my paddleboard, ran outside and saw how far I could run on the ice,” Masotto said. News12.

The Mastic-Beach resident ran to her basement, grabbed a paddleboard and ran outside, where she carefully walked across the thin ice toward the troubled man.

“I just had to do what I could to help this man. There was no time to think honestly. It was just kind of adrenaline.”

The 28-year-old heroine pulled the freezing man onto the front of her paddleboard as she joined him.

‘He informed me that his fingers were not working. His legs were numb, his hands were numb,” Masotto said.

After securing him to the foot of her board, a group of men stationed at a marina next to the frozen creek who had witnessed the harrowing incident threw a rope at Masotto.

The pair were pulled to shore by a rope just as Mastic Fire and EMS arrived.

“This gentleman suffered the early effects of hypothermia and thanks to Kayla’s actions, he will be fine after being evaluated at a local hospital,” a spokesperson said. statement from the Mastic fire brigade reads.

Mastic Fire Department Chief Steven Januszkiewicz credits Masotto with saving the man’s life in a situation where just a few seconds could make the difference between life and death.

Masotto is seen carefully making his way across the frozen creek in search of the icy man

The 28-year-old can be seen pulling the troubled man onto the front of her paddleboard as she successfully rescues the unknown man

“She just took action and did what she had to do and thanked God because in situations like this, time matters,” Januszkiewicz said.

‘The faster you get them out of the water, the greater their chance of survival.’

Masotto, still in disbelief over the incident, says she just wanted to make sure the man could return home to his family.

‘That’s someone’s son. That’s someone’s brother. That might be someone’s father and I hope if it were my family member, someone would do the same,” she said.

The man was in the early stages of hypothermia when he emerged from the water, Mastic EMS said.

He was taken to hospital and is expected to recover.