One of those legitimate heroes whose moment in the camera's glare is brief is New Yorker Daniel Santos, who, on his way home from work, dove 130 feet into the Hudson River to save a woman who was attempting suicide.
Santos' act of courage was especially commendable inasmuch as he is a self-confessed poor swimmer. Santos, 21 at the time, was a volunteer firefighter and just a year earlier had pulled a man to safety from a burning building.
The plunge from the Westchester-Rockland bridge stunned Santos, but broke no bones. Both he and the jumper, Maria Capozza, were fished out of the water by the dockmaster of a nearly boat club.
The interviews and hoopla, plus a trip to Disney World, soon ended. His employer disapproved of the time he had been away from work, and Santos quit his job, then turned to drink. Months went by before he got his life back on track. Sometimes heroism doesn't come easily.
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