A kayaker spotted a 6-year-old boy swimming alone in the St. Louis River and pulled him back to safety after he was separated from his parent’s boat.
David Jones Jr. loves the outdoors, and he went fishing on July 5 in the St. Louis River.
“I hit the record button on my phone, and I was fighting the fish for 8 or 9 minutes maybe, and that’s when I heard the scream,” said Jones.
The father-of-two found the boy floating in the middle of the river. “I had that sense of urgency that I needed to drop what I’m doing and kayak over there and got that kid to safety,” said David.
His experience in law enforcement helped him to stay calm and take proper decision during the serious situation. He was able to save the child and take him 300 yards back to safety. The young boy was already experiencing the effects of staying in the water for a long time.
“I believe he was in the early stages of hypothermia. He couldn’t remember how old he was. He could barely remember his name. His face was turning blue, and he was constantly telling me how cold he was.” David said.
He praises the young boy’s resilience saying, “Seeing the strength that kid had, and he didn’t give up. For him, to scream as loud as he could in that matter to get help, that kid is the real hero. That kid is really strong. That kid is the one who needs all the love and support.”
The authorities say that the young boy became separated from his dad’s sailboat and drifted away from him. But David has a lot of questions about how the boy was left by himself in the water.
The cops have already questioned the boy’s parents, who said they were not able to take the boat to where the boy was because of the water currents and the wind made the boat get ashore.
The police reports say that the boy confidently told his parent he would swim back to shore, but was not able to do so due to the wind and currents.
Meanwhile, David Jones Jr. is happy to be able to rescue the boy and is being congratulated by people all over the country for his bravery.
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