SpongeBob Squarepants saves the day! (web image)
An 8-year-old New Jersey boy saved his 5-year-old neighbor from drowning last weekend with a technique he says he learned from the Nickelodeon cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
Andrew Gentile was struggling in a manmade lake in Washington Township. He’d been playing in a shallow area, but wandered into deeper water. His mother, Shirley, tried to help, but she panicked herself when she lost her footing in the six-foot deep water.
That’s when Reese Ronceray remembered the strokes from a scene in the episode “SpongeGaurd on Duty,” and came to the rescue. He told “Early Show” co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez he ran and jumped into the water.
Reese said he grabbed Andrew around the shoulders and started paddling.
“I started swimming to shore, but before I grabbed him we just plopped and (went) under the water.”
Rodriguez said, “That must have been scary.”
Reese replied, “Very.”
He said, “I just kept (moving my arms) up all the way to the surface.”
Rodriguez asked, “You were just using one arm and holding him with the other?”
Reese added, “And two legs.”
Rodriguez asked Andrew, “What do you say to your friend for saving your life?”
Reese told his friend, “Thank you.”
Andrew responded, “You’re welcome.”
Reese added, “His mom was like, ‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.'”
Reese’s mom, Anne, said she’s “so proud” of her son.
