A Mooresville man is being called a hero after pulling an elderly woman out of a car that had plunged down a steep hill and into a pond.

The man who made the rescue talked about what he did, but asked if he could remain anonymous.

Before the first firefighters arrived, the Good Samaritan dove into the pond to reach the elderly driver. By the time rescuers scurried down the hillside, the man, who does not want to be identified, went into the water to pull Jane McClung to safety.

“I believe he was a guardian angel. He didn't want any fame but he was in the right place at the right time to rescue this lady," said Janet Isbell, a neighbor.

Isbell and others are calling the man who left quietly after making the rescue “a guardian angel.”  

He said he did not see the accident, but spotted McClung in the middle of the pond struggling to get out of her car. He dove into the water and helped her out a rear door, saying the water was over his head in some areas. 

By the time he described his efforts to free McClung, he had already showered and returned to work.

"It is outstanding. I praised him. Hopefully we can do a little something to recognize him here as a resident in the town of Mooresville, going above and beyond to save this lady's life,” said Mooresville Fire Department Assistant Chief Shane Lacount.

Police said McClung lives in the neighborhood where the accident happened and was possibly returning from the grocery store when she went off the road and into the pond. 

Officers are still trying to determine what caused her to lose control of the car.

The man who made the rescue said he is not a hero, and did what anyone else would have done.

Mark Brown, who lives nearby, isn’t so sure.

"It is a Good Samaritan looking after people. That's what people need to do nowadays instead of leaving people in there. She could have had a medical condition. She could have drowned," he said.

McClung was taken to Lake Norman Medical Center to be checked out. Officials there said she was released from the hospital Wednesday evening.