A heroic young police officer relives the moment she risked her life to save a 60-year-old woman from her sinking car.
Probationary officer Kiesha McJannet jumped into Dee Why Lagoon, in Sydney’s north, about 12.30pm on Sunday after the woman lost control of her car.
The 60-year-old’s car left Pittwater Road and crashed through some bushes before landing in the water and immediately starting to sink.
Officer McJannet said she and her police partner were just minutes away from the scene when the late night alert was sent to officers.
Before they even arrived, the young officer had emptied her pockets and taken off her belt and vest so she could jump into the water in the dark.
Probationary officer Kiesha McJannet rescued a woman from a sinking car (pictured) in Sydney’s north
‘I went inside, I went straight to the passenger door and instinctively I opened the door. But the water came in so quickly that I had to close the door again,” she told Sunrise on Monday.
‘I went to the driver’s side window, the window was only half open and I tried (to help the trapped woman) to stay calm.
‘Seconds passed, but the water continued to flow into the car. I said to the lady, “Can you lower the window any further?”, and she couldn’t.
“I tried to open the door (but) the door wouldn’t open for me.”
With no options left, she called for her partner’s baton to break the window.
Officer McJannet managed to pull the driver out of the window of her car (photo).
“I grabbed the baton, I was about to break the window and she said, ‘No, I think I can get through,’” Officer McJannet said.
‘I grabbed her arms and pulled her out.
“Within a few seconds the car went down.”
Constable McJannet joined the force last June and has been a member of Surf Life Saving for many years.
She told Today: ‘I was quite calm. I often patrol the beaches and I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to save people, so I just try to stay calm and that’s what I did.
‘The woman was relieved; she was clearly quite shocked by the situation she found herself in.
‘I don’t really call myself a hero. It’s just something I do and I always do. I will always put others before myself. That’s just who I am.’
Chief Inspector Patrick Sharkey said the young officer ‘did a fantastic job’.
“This is another great example of the work Northern Beaches and NSW Police do every day of the week,” he said.
‘We don’t always get in the news for these types of jobs, but it’s actually great when there’s a bit of recognition for what they do.’
Constable McJannet (pictured) joined the force last June and has been a member of Surf Life Saving for many years
NSW Ambulance Paramedics examined the driver at the scene after Constable McJannet rescued her just seconds before the car (pictured) sank
NSW Ambulance Paramedics assessed the driver at the scene and she was later taken to Northern Beaches Hospital for observation.
Acting Inspector Adrian De Visser also praised Constable McJannet.
“Her selfless actions in entering the water and rescuing a woman from a precarious position are to be commended,” he said.
