by JAMES QUEALLY
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Jason Spieser planned to enjoy a stroll along the South Beach Boardwalk with his wife Kelly one night in June, but after a man plunged 25 feet off the nearby fishing pier into the choppy surf below, Spieser rushed to his aid, saving the man's life while endangering his own.
The modest South Beach firefighter was honored for his off-duty heroism yesterday morning, when he was named Advance Firefighter of the Month during a ceremony held at Engine Co. 154 in Travis, where he works.
"Without any shadow of a doubt, that man would have perished without Jason's heroic actions," said Battalion Chief Mike Feminella.
When a passerby ran screaming toward Parks Department employees, begging for help, Spieser raced into action.
"I saw his face and I knew exactly what he was going to do," said Kelly Spieser.
Spieser, who has been a firefighter for two years, handed his cell phone to his wife, told her to call 911, and started swimming toward Peter Aponte, 22, who had taken the plunge in an ill-fated attempt to retrieve his friend's hat. Spieser surmises that the fall probably knocked the wind out of Aponte.
"I stopped a few feet away from him, so he wouldn't jump on me. He was panicking," said Spieser. "He kept screaming 'I got no air!' 'I got no air!'"
After a long fight through 75 feet of rough surf and a strong current, Spieser successfully dragged Aponte back to shore, where both men were attended to by police, Emergency Service Unit and Marine 8 on-site response teams.
"I was pretty tired when I got to him, so I was relieved when I saw everybody there on the shore," said Spieser.
While Spieser is trained for cold-water rescues, this was his first real-life experience with a victim. Cold-water rescues normally involve flotation devices, wetsuits, and other aids, none of which Spieser had at the time.
"I used to be a good swimmer, I was just hoping I would make it to him in time," said Spieser.
He shrugged off the fanfare surrounding his daring rescue.
"If one of us does something outside of the job, it's a big deal," said Spieser in an earlier Advance report. "But we do it every day at work."
Spieser's family was presented with a savings bond by Ken Paulsen, associate city editor for the Advance.
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