Two girls from Sharon rescue man who nearly drowns with metal detector in hand

SHARON, Mass. — Brooke Botelho, 11, and her friend, Jessica Buchsbaum, 12, were hanging out late Saturday afternoon on Lake Massapoag in Sharon.

The girls saw the man in distress about 30 yards into the lake.

“We were walking back from getting our stuff, we heard someone calling for help,” said Brooke.

Sharon fire officials said the man, who is in his 50′s, was using a metal detector in the water and had apparently stepped off a sharp drop on the lake bed.

“It’s really uneven, it’s rocky. So he had fallen off,” said Jessica.

Jessica said her swimming skills kicked in.

“The water was up to here on him,” she said.

The girls just went with their instinct, which was to save the man.

“On our way out, we were like yelling to him, float on your back, it’s going to be okay,” said Jessica.

“I wasn’t scared at the moment, because he needed help. We were in the moment to save him,” said Brooke.

On Tuesday, the brave girls will be officially recognized by the town for their heroic act.

As for the man, he was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

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