Teen Receives Medal for Saving 2 from Drowning in Lake Mahopac

CARMEL, NY — Cullen Malzo's quick-thinking and bravery Nov. 10 saved the lives of two 17-year-old girls who had careened into Lake Mahopac in a speeding car.

At a ceremony held at Carmel Town Hall Thursday, Senator Terrence Murphy recognized Malzo for his bravery by presenting him with a New York State Liberty Medal.

"If not for Cullen's heroic actions, we would be going to not one, but two funerals," Murphy said in an announcement about the event. "Knowing their lives were hanging in the balance, Cullen acted swiftly and decisively, disregarding his own safety. You can tell when you speak with him that Cullen has a great deal of integrity and character. He displayed it that night. He deserves to be recognized as a hero."

Malzo grew up in Yorktown, graduating from Lakeland High School in 2015. His family moved to North Lake Boulevard in Mahopac 18 months ago.

He was standing in the driveway when he heard a crash. Two 17-year-old girls had been speeding down North Lake Boulevard, traveling 50 mph in a 30 mph zone, when the driver lost control of the car. It hit a utility pole and flipped over, landing upside down in Lake Mahopac.

"I was going too fast. I was following after my friends, who were egging me on to speed up," the driver, Dana Sirelli, said, according to Murphy's announcement. "I swerved over the double yellow line. I tried to pull back, but it was too late."

As Malzo ran across the street, he called 911 then jumped into the muddy water. He couldn't get the door open, got a rock from a bystander, then realized there was a broken window and reached through it. First he pulled passenger Julia Brower out and then grabbed Sirelli by the foot.

The New York State Senate Liberty Medal is one of the highest civilian honors a New Yorker can receive. The award is given to individuals who have merited special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts and achievements on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers, and is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate.

Malzo also received a proclamation from Carmel Town Supervisor Kenneth Schmidt and a life saving certificate from Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith.

Murphy has presented two other recent Liberty Medals to residents of the 40th Senate District. Lewisboro resident Riley DeJong received a Liberty Medal in May 2015 for coming to the aid of injured passengers at the scene of the Metro North Train Crash in Valhalla on February 3, 2015. In July, Michelle Margilaj, a bartender at Il Laghetto Restaurant in Mahopac, was awarded a Liberty Medal for rescuing an 8-year-old boy from drowning in Lake Mahopac.

PHOTO/ State Sen. Murphy's Office