Off-duty Pinellas deputy saves kids caught in rip current
Off-duty Pinellas Deputy Anthony LaCorte uses his personal watercraft to save two children from a rip current off Anclote Island. (Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)
LARGO, Fla. - A Pinellas deputy is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of two children who were caught in a rip current.
The sheriff's office said Deputy Anthony LaCorte was off-duty and enjoying a beach day with his wife at Anclote Island last week.
That's when he heard a mother calling out for her sons from the shore.
The boys were caught in a rip current and struggling to stay afloat, the agency said.
Pinellas Deputy Anthony LaCorte takes a photo with the two children he saved from a rip current off Anclote Island. (Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)
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LaCorte jumped into action, saving both boys by bringing them back to shore on his jet ski, according to the sheriff's office.
"Thanks to Deputy LaCorte’s quick response, he was able to prevent a family’s day at the beach from ending in tragedy," investigators said. "Whether they’re on or off-duty, the men and women of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office serve their community every day."