Man who captured video of canal rescue speaks

MESA, Ariz. (KSAZ) - It was a video that got a lot of attention on Monday: a woman who went into a canal with her car was rescued by fire personnel in Mesa.

No one knows how the woman drove into the canal, but how she got out alive is stunning video that has been seen around the world. On Tuesday, FOX 10's Linda Williams talked to the man who took the video.

Video taken from Merrill Brimley's phone shows the seconds before Mesa Fire pulled the woman from her submerged car. One firefighter in the water forced the door open, confirmed there's someone in the car, and said that person was "not viable".

However, it was at that moment, the victim proved she was alive.

"I can only imagine underwater, she grabs him and he says she's viable, and that's when he throws his keys to the top and within seconds has her pulled out," said Brimley.

The unidentified woman, believed to be in her 50's, was pulled from the car within seconds. She managed to find an air pocket in the submerged car.

"Obviously, it was a miracle," said Brimley. "There was enough air in there for her to stay. I would assume she was in there 10 minutes or more."

Firefighters quickly pulled the woman to the canal bank, concerned that there might other victims. Brimley says the crowd that had gathered on the bank cheered and applauded Mesa Fire when they realized the woman was okay.

"It really makes you know that miracles do happen so that was pretty cool," said Brimley.

Mesa Fire Ladder 201 crew will be holding a news conference with all of the people involved in the rescue on Wednesday morning.