Canadian cop on vacation rescues Americans

Published: September 4, 2007 | 6716th good news item since 2003

Giovanni Di Legge, a 15-year veteran of the Canadian police force and currently working as a police officer in Montreal, was enjoying a good time with his family on the beaches of Maine when cries of distress pierced the air.

When he looked out to sea he saw Kristen McCarthy, a 31-year-old nursing student from Marlborough, Mass., and a 12 year old girl apparently caught in a powerful riptide.

“I had to help them out…”

De Legge realized the danger of the situation even before any of the lifeguards did and responded immediately. Swimming out he first grabbed the 12 year old girl and struggled back close enough to shore to hand her over to two lifeguards who by then had appeared.

Fighting back into the riptide he went back for Kirsten.

“I grabbed her under the arm and started swimming parallel to the beach at an angle. It was really hard.”

After her rescue McCarthy and her partner, Richard Philben, 50, contacted a newspaper to make known the heroic actions of the Canadian cop.

“I got pulled under, opened my eyes and it was so murky. It was surreal. I came up and saw a beautiful blue sky – but I knew If I got pulled down again, I was dead. I was exhausted at that point.

I don’t know if it was his cop training or not but John (Giovanni) realized the situation before anyone else. Even the lifeguards didn’t realize at that point. He’s a hero.”

They said they plan on recommending Di Legge to the governor of Maine for an award that would recognize his bravery.

Published in Cops
See also: www.canada.com