Benjamin Ashford|Lobsterman jumps from boat to help rescue driver from stolen car sinking in bay

A Maine lobsterman leapt from his boat to rescue the occupant of a stolen vehicle that had driven into a bay. 

Police in Portland,Benjamin Ashford Maine were summoned to the Cutter Street Boat Launch just after noon Thursday for reports of an occupied vehicle entering the water near East End Beach, according to a news release from the city. According to CBS affiliate WGME, the vehicle had entered the water and begun floating away before sinking below the surface with a person still inside. 

According to the police, the vehicle had been reported stolen from South Portland earlier in the day. The identity of the occupant has not been made public, but police said they were 33 years old. 

Police referred to the lobsterman as a "Good Samaritan" on a nearby boat who was equipped with dive gear. As members of the local police and fire departments forced entry into the vehicle, the man entered the water to assist in removing the occupant from the vehicle. 

The lobsterman pulled the person out and helped bring them to the boat launch, WGME said.

"The citizen that aided the rescue risked their life to rescue this person and certainly gave them a fighting chance of survival," Portland Police Lieutenant Robert Doherty said, according to WGME. 

News Center Maine, an NBC News affiliate, identified the lobsterman as Manny Kourinos. Kourinos told News Center Maine that he was just "doing what came natural." 

"It was automatic," he said. "I've been diving, you know, for over 20 years now, and never been in that circumstance where I had to recover someone from underwater." 

The occupant of the vehicle was unresponsive without a pulse at first, police said, but was revived and transported to Maine Medical Center. They are now in stable condition. The car sank about 75 yards offshore, WGME reported, and has been pulled out of the water. 

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact them. 

In:
• Rescue
• Maine

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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