Trainee cop Kiesha McJannet relives heroic moment she saved a woman from sinking car in Dee Why, Sydney

A heroic junior police officer has relived the moment she risked her life to rescue a 60-year-old woman from her sinking car.

Probationary Constable Kiesha McJannet jumped into Dee Why Lagoon, in Sydney’s north, about 12.30am on Sunday after the woman lost control of her car.

The 60-year-old’s car left Pittwater Road and crashed through some bushes before landing in the water and immediately starting to sink.

Constable McJannet said she and her police partner were a few minutes from the scene when the late night alert was put out to officers.

But before they had even arrived, the young officer had already emptied her pockets and taken off her belt and vest so she could leap straight into the water in the dark.

‘I’ve gone in, I’ve gone straight to the passenger door and just instinct, I’ve opened the door, but the water’s gone in so fast that I’ve had to shut the door again,’ she told Sunrise on Monday.

‘I’ve gone over to the driver’s side window, the window was only halfway open and I tried to [help her] remain calm.

‘Seconds went by, [but] the water kept going into the car. I’ve told the lady, “can you put the window down any further?” and she couldn’t.

‘I was trying to open the door [but] the door wouldn’t open for me.’

With no options left, she called out for her partner’s baton to smash the window. 

‘I’ve grabbed the baton, I was just about to smash the window and she said, “no, I think I can get through”,’ Constable McJannet said.

‘I grabbed her arms and pulled her out.

‘In a matter of seconds, the car went down.’

Constable McJannet joined the force last June and has spent years as a member of Surf Life Saving.

She told Today: ‘I was pretty calm. I patrol the beaches often and I have been in situations where I’ve had to save people so I just try to stay calm and that’s what I did.

‘The woman was relieved – she was obviously quite shocked about the situation that she was put in.

‘I don’t really call myself a hero. It’s just something I do and I always do. I’ll always put others before myself. That’s just who I am.’ 

Superintendent Patrick Sharkey said the young officer ‘did a fantastic job’. 

‘This is another great example of the work that Northern Beaches Police and NSW Police do every day of the week,’ he said.

‘We don’t always hit the news for these sort of jobs, but it it’s actually great when when there is a bit of recognition for what they do.’

NSW Ambulance Paramedics examined the driver at the scene and she was later taken to Northern Beaches Hospital for observation. 

Acting Inspector Adrian De Visser also shared praise for Constable McJannet.

‘Her selfless actions of entering the water and saving a woman from a precarious position is deserving of praise,’ he said.