Chris Cuomo Rescues Man From Drowning – CNN Anchorman Stops Victim From Getting Sucked In By Riptide

Chris Cuomo is being applauded for assisting in the rescue of a man who was drowning. The CNN anchor is being hailed as a hero for rescuing a man from being sucked by a riptide in the Hamptons.

The New Day anchor and brother of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spotted and helped an older man who was struggling against the riptide in the Peconic River near Shelter Island hot spot Sunset Beach on Sunday afternoon, reported Page Six.

On a boat to enjoy a lazy Sunday morning with his editor wife Cristina Cuomo and their children, Chris had anchored his boat a little away from the shore, when he saw the older man and quickly realized something was wrong. Forty-five-year-old Chris realized the man was in distress from the way he was trying to swim. However, apart from just throwing a life preserver to rescue him, Chris immediately dove into the river and swam out to the victim.

Riptides aren’t easy to spot and can suddenly engulf you. They are the result of crosscurrents that draw the victim further out into the waterbody. Surprisingly, the ideal course of action recommended is to simply go with the flow, instead of trying to swim against the current or swim at an angle to escape the pull. Riptides eventually fizzle out, allowing the swimmer to easily swim to shore, however, many need rescuing since they panic and starting fighting the current.

This is perhaps what happened to the man whom Chris rescued, said Frank Cilione, the managing partner of Philippe East Hampton who was anchored close to Cuomo and his family,

“Chris saved this man’s life. We saw him floating by in what looked like a very strong, fast current, and Chris began yelling at the man to swim out of it at an angle. But the man said he couldn’t move his arms, all his energy was spent, and he carried on floating away, his head barely above the water.

Chris threw him a life preserver, but the man still didn’t start swimming, so Chris jumped in the water and went after him. It was happening too fast to untie the boat and start the engine. At this point, the man was 500 to 600 feet away from us, almost so far that you couldn’t see him, but Chris is a strong guy and swam up to him.

Once he got to him, the man still couldn’t fight the current, so Chris then somehow managed to drag him back to shore, where they could stand in the water. If he hadn’t done this, the man would surely have drowned.”

Speaking about the incident later, Chris said,

“The lesson is: Don’t jump in fast-moving water and think before you do something like that. I probably should have just radioed for the cops or something like that. I didn’t think the guy was going to make. He didn’t look good. I hope that he’s well, and I hope people don’t chase down his name.”

Looks like Chris Cuomo can, not only take a verbal beating, but rescue someone from drowning too.

[Image Credit | Angela Weiss / Getty Images]