2 Lindenhurst Firefighters Receive Honor For Heroic Rescue

LINDENHURST, NY —Mark Miller and John Tighe from Lindenhurst Fire Department were named 2021 Firefighter of the Year by the Fireman's Association of New York (FASNY) for their heroic actions after an accident last year.

Both of the firefighters immediately responded to a car crash on Montauk Highway that sent a car with two people inside into a canal. While both Lindenhurst and Copiague Fire Departments were on their way, Tighe and Miller, who were on the scene first, jumped into the canal to extract an elderly woman from the vehicle.

"With the car now submerged in eight to 10 feet of water, Tighe, Miller, a Suffolk County police officer and a civilian tried several times to break the car windows to reach the trapped victim. Miller attempted to break the windshield with a hammer, but it dropped into the water. He swam back to shore and was handed a cinder block. This time attempted to break the rear window, but the cinder block fell into the water. Miller then swam back to shore for a second cinder block and returned to the vehicle. This time, he was successful in breaking the rear window," FASNY posted, using information from Lindenhurst Chief Craig A. Santoli, who nominated the two men for the award.

The two firefighters then worked together to remove the woman from the submerged car and pull her out of the water with a rope and assistance from bystanders.

An off-duty police officer was able to perform CPR on the woman who regained a pulse. She was transported her to Good Samaritan Hospital, where she recovered.