On December 26, 2024, on Long Island, New York, a man rode his jetski onto a semi-frozen part of Poopspastuck Creek, and broke through the ice. Witnessing from her window, 28-year-old Kayla Masotto was quick to action, tossing a jacket over her pajamas and grabbing her paddleboard.
Her younger sister filmed while Masotto took to the ice.
Harrowing ice rescue by paddleboarder on Poopspastuck Creek
“I was putting my weight on the front of my board and pushing hard,” Masotto shared in an interview.
In the video shot by Masotto’s younger sister, Masotto quickly works through the best method to get herself and her paddleboard across the ice and out to the victim without breaking through the ice herself. She begins by laying prone on the board and attempting to scoot. Masotto quickly finds that to be ineffective and switches to a different tactic.
Masotto then tries to scoot from the kneeling position on the board before switching tactics again, opting to put her weight on her hands on the board and use her legs to propel her and the board across the ice.
When Masotto reached the man, she used her paddle to help pull him toward her paddleboard. Kneeling and keeping a low center of gravity on the paddleboard, Masotto held her board steady while the man climbed out of the water and onto the front of her paddleboard, also keeping low to the board with Masotto’s help.
Other rescuers from the nearby marina joined Masotto on the ice with paddlecraft of their own, and tossed Masotto and the victim a rope to pull them off the ice and to safety.
“His hands, fingers, legs, his whole body was numb,” Masotto said. “He had let me know that he really thought he was gonna die.”
“Kayla just saved this man’s life,” Masotto’s younger sister says at the end of the video she filmed of the ordeal.
After rescue, Masotto and other good samaritans honored in a ceremony
Masotto and the other rescuers were recently honored by first responders in a ceremony, where Masotto met with the man she had saved and his family.
“He brought me flowers and said that I was his guardian angel,” said Massotto.
According to the Mastic Fire Department, at 12:30 p.m. on December 26, the department was activated for a cold water rescue at Poopspastuck Creek. Thanks to Masotto and the other good Samaritans on the scene, the victim was recovered from the water and experiencing the early effects of hypothermia as first responders rallied to the scene, according to a post on Facebook.
“This is what I want the message to be going into 2025,” Kayla shared in an interview. “We all need to look out for each other and help each other.”
While Masotto’s quick thinking and bravery saved a life, the incident highlights safety measures every paddler should follow: Always wear a PFD, dress for immersion, and use a leash on your paddleboard. These precautions not only help ensure your safety but also your ability to help others in an emergency.
Feature Image: Kayla Masotto shares the story of the ice rescue. Inside Edition | YouTube
That is an amazing rescue and thankfully everyone was safe. If I have missed something or it was not in the report I apologise, but why would someone drive a jet ski onto a frozen lake?