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Off-duty Pinellas County deputy saves 2 boys stuck in rip current

The boys said they did not realize they were trapped in the current until they could not feel the bottom or see the shore.

ANCLOTE, Fla. — A mother is thanking a Pinellas County deputy who was off duty at the time for saving her two sons from a rip current.

Michael Johnson, 11, and 7-year-old Levi Johnson were in the water near Anclote Key last Tuesday when they got caught in a rip current that pulled them out far from shore. 

The mother, Amanda Johnson, tried to swim toward her sons but couldn't get far due to the strong waves and powerful current.

“At that point, I realized no matter how strong of a swimmer, there was no getting to my children," Amanda said. 

When the incident happened, Anthony LaCorte was spending his off time at the beach with his wife. 

Without hesitation, he said that he jumped on his Jet Ski and went looking for the two boys. After circling around the water, he found them. 

“The older boy was holding the younger boy up," LaCorte described the situation. 

LaCorte said he put both boys on the back of his Jet Ski and was able to reunite them with their family members. 

Credit: 10 Tampa Bay

“I am so thankful for him that I can still live with my parents and go on with my life," Michael said.

Both of the boys described LaCorte as the coolest man on earth. 

“As a father myself, I would want someone to do that for my children," LaCorte said.

Amanda said the two families now have a special bond that is irreplaceable and already has plans for LaCorte to join them for a family dinner in the near future. 

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