Long Island Woman, 'A Local Hero,' Feted For Rescuing Man From Icy Creek

MASTIC, NY — A Long Island woman who last week rescued a man who had fallen into a partially frozen creek last week was feted as "a local hero" by officials in a special ceremony on Monday at the local fire department.

The Mastic Fire Department received a call at about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, alerting them to a cold water rescue on Poospatuck Creek where a man fell through the ice and couldn't get out, but Kayla Masotto sprang into action and rescued him with her paddleboard, officials said.

Masotto, 28, of Mastic Beach, told News 12 she spotted the man on the ice when she was sitting in her living room watching TV, and then ran out and asked if he needed help, but he told her he was okay, but not shortly after, the man's personal watercraft started to smoke and ended up sinking.

"I ended up running to my basement, grabbing my paddleboard, and ran out and saw how far I could run on the ice,” she told the outlet. "I just had to do what I could to try to help this man. There was no time to think honestly. It was just kind of adrenaline."

Masotto was helped by three good samaritans, Joseph Wahl, Tony Orsi, and Alyssa Treadwell, and then she and the man were pulled safely to the shore.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Clerk Vincent Puelo, and the Mastic Volunteer Ambulance Company, joined the Mastic Volunteer Ambulance Company and the fire department at its headquarters to watch a video of the rescue at the ceremony.

Romaine said Masotto"heard the commotion behind her home" and "risked her own life," to "effectively" use the paddle to approach the victim and pull him up onto her paddle board."

The man, who had not been in the water long, was experiencing the early effects of hypothermia and was expected to be okay after being evaluated at a local hospital," according to officials.

Fire officials credited Masotto for doing a "great job" and her "amazing life-saving efforts."