Good Samaritans who saved father and son from drowning honored in Oyster Bay

OYSTER BAY, Long Island (WABC) -- They were cool under pressure, and for that Peter Liotta and his buddy Daniel Roper got top honors Tuesday from Oyster Bay's Town Supervisor.

It was very much a group effort out on the Long Island Sound on Saturday when Peter and Daniel were out fishing on a boat two miles offshore near Bayville.

They were with their friend, and his dad, and the water was getting choppy.

Their friend wanted to go swimming.

"So he jumped off the back of the boat, but he started getting pulled by the current, so his dad jumped in to save him," Daniel said.

But that didn't go so well either.

"He yelled to us for help because he was just exhausted, he couldn't really swim that well," Daniel said.

That's when their quick thinking really kicked in. First, they pulled their friend to safety themselves.

"I went to the radio and I told the Coast Guard our coordinates," Peter said.

And as luck would have it, Jake Lemonda, a longtime firefighter with the FDNY, was out boating with his family and in the right place at the right time.

"I said, 'I think there's someone in distress, and we're right here'" Jake said.

"The adrenaline takes over and you get very excited to help, and you realize what you've done, and it was an amazing thing," said Ann Lemonda, Good Samaritan.

Amazing all around because the Lemondas pulled the 44-year old man to safety, preventing him from drowning.

"This situation would've ended up far worse had it not been for our local heroes," said Joseph Saladino, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor.

The boys came out of this with a life lesson.

"That no matter how old you are, you could still help people," Daniel said.

That is most precious of all.

"I mean these are 11-year-old kids acting this way, makes you beam as a dad, as being so proud," said Peter Liotta Sr., Good Samaritan's father.