An 86-year-old was sinking — these Manchester cops jumped in

Early Sunday morning, just before 5 o’clock, Manchester police officers Sean Rembach and Don Miller were already responding to another call when another emergency dispatch came through; a car had gone into a water hazard at a nearby golf course.

There was an 86-year-old man inside.

According to the 9-1-1 call, the driver couldn’t get the door open, and the car was sinking.

The officers raced to the gated community. When they arrived, they found the man sitting on top of his sinking car, desperately holding on and yelling for help.

Apparently, he had been trying to make a K-turn and hit the gas instead of the brake. Now he was in the middle of a pond, and the situation was getting worse by the second.

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A dangerous rescue with no time to waste

Officer Rembach knew there wasn’t time to wait.

He immediately took off his vest and gun belt, then jumped into the pond.

He swam out toward the 86-year-old man, and this is where Officer Don Miller’s background suddenly becomes incredibly important.

Miller spent 10 years as a lifeguard at the Jersey Shore. He threw the rescue line out across the water and puts it right into Rembach’s hand.

Rembach later joked that the throw was so good, Miller might need to be drafted by the Eagles.

Miller started pulling, and Rembach held onto the elderly driver. Together, they get him back to shore.

Safe and uninjured.

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A frightening situation ends safely

The car was totaled, and there was apparently even a sunfish swimming around inside it afterward, but the 86-year-old driver was okay.

And somehow, after nearly going down with his car, the guy still had his sense of humor. Standing there drying off, he had one complaint: he needed another cup of coffee because his first one was sitting at the bottom of the pond.

This could have been a very different story.

Instead, two police officers heard the call. One jumped into the water, the other relied on skills he had learned years earlier as a lifeguard.

And an 86-year-old man went home.

Manchester Police Officers Sean Rembach and Don Miller, you are our Blue Friday honorees.

Thank you for your courage, and thank you for your service.

And somebody please get that man another cup of coffee.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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