Lifeguard and swim instructor Anthony Capuano ripped off his prosthetic leg to jump into the Newark Bay to save a driver who was trapped inside a sinking car Tuesday.
As a crowd of people gathered near the bay to watch the SUV slowly sink, Capuano said he headed straight over to the crowd of people, according to ABC 6.
“I saw people running and we did the same,” he said, per the report.
“I hopped over the fence and when I got onto the rocks I took off my leg and I crab walked over the rocks,” he added. (RELATED: Tow Truck Drive Jumps In Ocean To Save Drowning Woman In New Jersey)
“Someone had said out loud, ‘Does anybody know how to swim?'” Capuano said, according to The Jersey Journal. “And I was just like, ‘Oh. I guess that’s me.’ And then I jumped in.”
Capuano swam to the vehicle, which was roughly 50 feet from shore to rescue the 68-year-old victim, per ABC 6. The man in the car said he didn’t know how to swim.
Authorities said the driver pulled over to answer a phone call and attempted to park but lost control of the vehicle. Police said he had his foot on both the brake and accelerator which caused his car to go flying into the bay, per ABC 6.
Capuano lost his leg 11 years ago when he was struck by a train in Downtown Jersey City.