co-pilot art litsinger knows he has precious seconds to act and only he can save the man now.pray is pelting him in the face. and so blindly he tosses the life ring into the teeth of the swirling wind. >> fortunately, i got pretty close to him, and the current took it right across in front of his face, about two foot in front of him. >> now it's do or die for the man who has held on for so long. >> he got it. >> he actually had to let go of what he was holding on to to get the ring. it was about a foot or two in front of him. he let go, and he grabbed the ring. we did see that his legs went right over the brink. >> on shore, rescuers start pulling the rope, plucking the man from certain death. >> i can't describe the feeling of, for 30 seconds anyway, of feeling this relief that he finally has it. finally we have him. we have something connected to him. he's not on his own anymore. and we start to bring him in. >> as carella and moriarty watch their peers pull the guy to shore, the feeling of relief is short-lived. if standing feet from the edge of niagara falls isn't dangerou