Don McEwan was driving through Goffle Brook Park in Hawthorne, New Jersey, when he was forced to make one of the quickest decisions of his life.
He spotted something strange in a nearby iced-over pond. There was a car sitting in the middle of the frozen body of water, sinking slowly to the bottom. Don was shocked to see a woman sitting in the driver's seat, unable to escape the descending vehicle.
The woman had driven over a stretch of road so icy, it caused her car to swerve out of control and into the icy water.
Don recognized the woman's despair and jumped out of his car. He raced over to the scene.
In the video below, posted on February 13, 2017, Don recalls, "She was saying, 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die.'"
He removed his coat and boots and plunged into the freezing water. He made his way over to the sinking vehicle and took it all in.
"The car was filled with water, I asked her if anybody else was in the car," Don says with a shaky voice. "She said, 'No.' I began trying to break the window."
Soon, police officers arrived and successfully broke the window open. Although the authorities ultimately broke the window, it's important to remember that Don selflessly jumped into the freezing water to save the woman, providing her with a sense of comfort and a great attempt at setting her free.
"If it happened to my wife or myself, or somebody in my family, anybody, I think in this town, it's like that," a humble Don adds. "You know, if it wasn't me, somebody else — the next person driving by, I think would've jumped."
To see photos of the daring rescue and to watch the full interview, check out the video below and please SHARE this story to commend brave everyday heroes like Don!
