Earlier this week, Michael Bea was walking his dog along the Rio Hondo river in El Monte, California, when he saw what he at first thought were some sticks in the water. He soon realized that it was actually a small boy up to his neck in the raging stormwater.
Bea jumped into cold rushing water and grabbed the four-year-old boy. He struggled to keep both their heads above the water as he fought the current, eventually making it safely to the shore.
Chad Sourbeer with the LA County Fire Department says the boy is extremely lucky to be alive. The autistic toddler was taken to a nearby hospital where he was eventually reunited with his family, who had been frantically looking for him in a park adjacent to the river. They were very grateful to Bea for saving their son.
Source: FOX LA