ENCINO (CBS 2) — He stepped on the gas when he wanted the brake, and as a result … an elderly man ended up in a lake!

Specifically, Lake Balboa. Just before 1 p.m. Friday, a man in his 70s apparently stepped on the gas instead of the brake pedal and drove into Lake Balboa.

Fortunately for the man, several witnesses observed him driving into the lake and were able to make a quick rescue. The man emerged from the water unscathed, said Sgt. Walter Hanna of the Los Angeles Police Department West Valley Division.

Hanna added, “He went over the parking barrier then rolled down the hill into the lake.”

Hanna said witnesses rushed to help the man out of the water as the vehicle sunk six feet underwater. “I got there about five minutes after it happened and the car was already not visible,” Hanna said. “We had to have our divers come out and help so the tow truck could get the vehicle out.”

The man was in the vehicle alone, and he was not injured, Hanna said.

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