Spy Pond Heroics Garner Widespread Attention

ARLINGTON, MA — The heroic actions of three brave bystanders who saved a woman from a sinking vehicle in Spy Pond Friday have begun to gain national attention.

The dramatic video has been shared by all of the major New England news outlets and has even been picked up nationally as well as abroad. The story was discussed on "Good Morning America" Monday morning and picked up by BBC and the Daily Mail in England.

"I saw a woman in a car going down and somebody had to help save her," David Frasier, 54, of Boxford told reporters of the incident.

Frasier, Cesar Perozo, 41, of Stoneham and Kenneth Chapman, 57, of Sydney, Australia, were identified Saturday as three brave bystanders by police Saturday. 9News in Australia picked up the story as well, due to Chapman's Sydney ties.

READ MORE:

• Good Samaritans who Saved Woman from Sinking Car in Arlington Identified

• Car in Spy Pond: Frightened Woman Saved by Bystanders from Sinking Car

A video captured at the scene showed a man swimming out to save the woman who accidentally drove a vehicle into Spy Pond near Linden Street. The video shows the man attempting to save the woman while the vehicle sinks into the pond. A second man swims out to assist in the rescue before police and firefighters approach the scene.

The video shows the car sinking into the depths of the pond with a man frantically trying to free the woman from the vehicle. As the vehicle becomes completely submerged, the man yells, "I lost her!"

Seconds after view of the car was lost, the woman surfaced and was helped back to safety.

The woman, identified as Helen Joyce, 68, of Medford, was cold but otherwise unhurt, police say. She will not face charges, but police made an immediate notification to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles that will trigger a review of her ability to operate a vehicle safely.

Images via the Arlington Police Department