Hero Surfer Saves Three Swimmers in Distress
By STEPHANIE BARISH wpix.com

2:17 p.m. EDT, May 27, 2010
ROCKAWAY BEACH, N.Y. (WPIX)—
An alert surfer is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of three people who were drowning off Rockaway Beach Wednesday afternoon.

Carols Buti Rodriguez, 44, said he noticed two teenage girls in distress around 1 p.m. and immediately sprang into action when he heard the girls screaming for help.

Rodriguez, a former lifeguard on the same stretch of beach during the late 1980s, said he paddled over and helped one girl onto his surf board. Another girl was reportedly under water and Rodriguez said he was forced to pull her out by her hair.

Rodriguez was also able to snatch a third friend who was also in distress and paddled back to shore with the three friends within 20 minutes.

The city beaches do no officially open until Saturday when lifeguards are on duty.