A coffee shop worker and a fisherman saved the life of a man who fell from the Manhattan Beach Pier.
Brian Melendrez was working at a cafe on the pier when he heard people screaming about the man's plight at 1:22 p.m. Thursday.
Despite fearing for his own safety, the 25-year-old decided to act along with a fellow Good Samaritan to save the person from drowning, leaping fully clothed 40 feet into the surf below.
"I was pretty scared so (the fisherman) is like, 'on three,' then he jumped off and I jumped off right after him," Melendrez said, "When we got his head above water he was foaming out of the mouth."
Somebody on the pier tossed a garden hose and a life preserver down to the two rescuers, who managed to hold on to the man until the lifeguards arrived.
"He was unconcious. He was gone. We were trying to talk to him and tell him to keep going," Melendrez said.
Los Angeles County Fire Department lifeguards then arrived and took over the rescue, giving CPR to the unconscious man and rescuing the Good Samaritans
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LACFD lifeguard AJ Lester praised the men and the other bystanders for their heroic efforts during the rescue, but warned against jumping off the pier as water can be as shallow as four feet during low tide.
"If they wouldn't have called 911 right away and gotten that life ring to them fast, the outcome could have been three fatalities in this case," Lester said.
The victim, who has yet to be identified, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he remained Thursday night. It is unclear whether he fell, or jumped into the water on purpose.
Asher Klein and Gadi Schwartz contributed to this article
