Kayaker Hailed a Hero After Rescuing 6 Year-Old Boy on St. Louis River

He was in the right place at the right time!

A kayaker is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a 6-year-old boy on the St. Louis River, Global Positive News reports. 

DJ Jones is a self-proclaimed “Florida boy” who currently resides in Minnesota. He’s known for his outdoor adventures online and runs a YouTube page that highlights his excursions, showcasing everything from hunting with bow and arrows to kayak fishing. However, this past fourth of July weekend Jones stumbled upon an adventure he hadn’t expected, rescuing a 6-year-old boy from the river who was terrified after getting separated from his dad. Shook up by the events himself, Jones took to social media to recount the ordeal. 

Quick to action

“So yesterday I had this feeling of wanting to fish the St. Louis River from the boy scout landing. As I got to the ramp there were 2 different married couples fishing. And a father in his sail boat while his son swam right beside it. As I got into the water everything seemed to be okay at least at the moment,” Jones recalled. 

That’s when he said the wind and waves started to pick up rapidly on the river, causing the father and son to somehow get separated.

“I watched as the father pulled his anchor. While doing so his son continued swimming [and] the next time I looked his dad was gone,” wrote Jones. 

Before he could even gather himself, he heard the boy screaming for help, springing into action to save him before the child got swept away by the current. Jones caught the entire situation on video in a 9-minute clip that’s both harrowing and heartwarming. 

“I heard this scream that no parent ever wants to hear. The sound was a child screaming for his life as he’s being swept away by the current. I then bit my fishing line and paddled as quickly as I could to the 6-year-old kid. Other than his [dad's] sailboat hundreds of yards away I was the only watercraft in eye sight,” he continued. 

In the video, Jones can be seen pulling up to the kid and telling him to hold on. Visibly frightened, the little boy begins crying for his dad almost immediately. Jones then starts asking him a series of questions in an effort to calm him down, the boy so flustered he admits he doesn’t even know how old he is to which Jones replies, “You can’t remember? Are you that old? Are you like 101?102?”

Jones paddles the boy back to shore as he holds on to the side of the kayak, calling emergency medical services to the scene to check the boy out and waiting with him until law enforcement arrives and he is reunited with his dad. His father can be seen on camera profusely thanking Jones for his heroic actions. 

Swimming safety

There have been a series of recent water accidents where people were saved by modern-day superheroes. From a 7-year-old California boy whose quick thinking saved a toddler from the bottom of a pool to a Mississippi teen who saved four people and an officer from drowning after their car careened into the river. According to the CDC, nearly 4,000 people die each year from drowning which is the leading cause of death for children. But drowning among children is completely preventable, particularly if they know how to swim, are being closely supervised, or have on a life jacket like the boy did who was saved by Jones. 

Jones is now being hailed as a hero, thousands liking the story and commenting about how awesome he was under pressure. 

“The way he distracted that little kid to calm down…literally crying,” one user wrote. 

“Wow, God put you on that lake that day for a reason, that young boy crying out!! Lord Bless you Brother!,” another added. 

Thank you for your bravery and quick action DJ! Not all heroes wear capes!

This article was originally posted on BOTWC