19-year-old rescues two teens from area lake
LAKE MAHOPAC >> Two 17-year-old Mahopac girls are lucky to be alive and a 19-year-old Mahopac man is credited with pulling them out of Lake Mahopac after their car ran off a road and flipped over, trapping them under water.
Carmel Police said the girls were driving in small car on North Lake Boulevard in the vicinity of Mahopac Woods on Thursday night when the vehicle went out of control because of excessive speed, ran off the winding road, struck a utility pole, drove across a dock, overturned and crashed into the lake.
Both girls were trapped underwater.
Cullen Malzo, who lives across the street from the lake, heard the crash, ran to the scene and saw the car upside down in the water. He called 911, pulled off his shoes, socks and jacket, and dove into the muddy lake. He felt around through a broken window, grabbed an arm and pulled the driver out. She began to scream that her friend was still in the car, so Malzo jumped back in, searched around, felt a leg and pulled the second girl out.
Julia Prowf, a senior at Mahopac High School, went over to Malzo’s home on Friday to thank him. He is her hero, Prowf said. “The water was up to my chin,” she said. “I really thought my time had come.”
Carmel Police did not identify the other girl involved in the accident.