Boy honored for saving elderly woman from wasp stings on Long Island

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WABC) -- Like father, like son; a little boy on Long Island was honored for saving a woman's life.

8-year-old Luke Rosenthal was awarded Hempstead's distinguished service pin, an award ordinarily given to police officers, firefighters, and EMTs.

Police say the boy acted like a first responder by helping a distressed elderly neighbor who was attacked by wasps in her garden.

"He picked me up, because I wasn't able to move, and put me on my walker," said Grace Mahler, the wasp sting victim.

"She has a broken wrist now and I just felt so bad for her," said Luke Rosenthal, the rescuer.

"It's the first time in the town's history that we have awarded this pin to a child," said Kate Murray, the Town of Hempstead Supervisor.

Luke's father is a firefighter in East Meadow.

Some say they can see him following in his father's footsteps.