When Nicola (23) suddenly saw an elderly man threatening to drown, she dropped everything and jumped into the water to save him.
In early September, Nicola (23) was walking her dog in the Swiss municipality of Rorschach on Lake Constance when she suddenly saw an elderly man threatening to drown. “I left my dog and jumped into the water to get the man out,” says the 23-year-old for about “20 minutes”. He didn’t think much about it. He was able to pull the man out of the water and save him from drowning.
“I wasn’t thinking and just following my instincts” – Lifesaver Nicola
When he jumped, he was still dressed
The older man didn’t scream. “I just saw his head bobbing up and down in the water over and over again,” says Nicola. The drowning man was 15 or 20 meters from shore and was drifting, so Nicola didn’t have much time. “I put my phone away and went inside with my clothes on,” says the 23-year-old.
Nicola hugged the older man and swam back to shore with him. “He was very exhausted and hardly moved. I realized that he had no more strength,” says the 23-year-old. However, the action was not exhausting for him. “I can swim well so it wasn’t a big deal for me.”
In Puglia, Nicola is a hero
Arriving at the shore, two other passers-by were waiting, who ran to help. One of them had already called 911. “About ten minutes later, an ambulance arrived and took care of the elderly man,” says Nicola. At that moment, the 23-year-old put the dog back on its leash and returned home.
Nicola has dual Swiss-Italian citizenship and has only been in Switzerland for three months. In his native Apulia, Nicola is celebrated as a hero. A local newspaper published a Facebook post about Nicola’s crime. There are compliments raining down in the comments. “You are the pride of Puglia. We all thank you for your wonderful achievement,” wrote someone. The newspaper itself describes him with similar words: “Nicola de Anzano, the young hero of the lake”.
Browsing account 20 minutes Time 10.09.2023, 7:58 pm | Act: September 10, 2023, 7:58 pm