(NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing East River. Tuesday'sDaily Newssaid 29-year-old Julien Duret from France was the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday. He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him. "I didn't think at all," Duret told theDaily News. "It happened very fast. I reacted very fast." Duret, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier  when he saw something falling into the water. He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. Immediately, he took off his coat and jumped into the water. When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said. Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes. Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers. Duret caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after. The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn't realize his story of heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning. "I don't really think I'm a hero," said Duret. "Anyone would do the same thing." Why was Duret in New York?
To meet his girlfriend. To spend his holiday. To work as an engineer. To visit the Andersons.