LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Three Louisville teens are being called heroes after helping a person who drove into the Ohio River.
Pleasure Ridge Park High School students jumped into action to help a person who drove into the Ohio River on the evening of April 21 at the Greenwood Boat Ramp, Louisville Metro Police Department said in a release.
Police said the driver had a medical emergency while behind the wheel.
The day after was a unique day of school for the boys, who were getting compliments and recognition.
Monday night, Kenay Valdes, Abraham Cruz and Jacob Cruz were planning on fishing in Indiana, but on the way there, they changed their mind. They decided to fish closer to home at the Greenwood Boat Ramp.
“That’s what really got to us because we were not supposed to be there. So that’s what we always say. We were not supposed to be there,” said Abraham Cruz.
But they said they were in the right place at the right time. As soon as they got there, they said they saw a car in the water.
“We didn’t think much of it, we just jumped in, we didn’t really think about it. We just seen a car floating, and we were like, let’s just get in and get,” Abraham said.
Valdes and Abraham got in the chest deep water. Valdes tied a rope to the car while Abraham went toward the driver’s door.
“When I opened the door, he went like this to me. I grabbed him and picked him up and just swam with him,” Abraham said.
While that was happening, Jacob was at the other end of the rope, pulling the car toward the shore.
The news of their rescue got around fast. On Tuesday, their peers called them heroes and congratulated them.
“I got asked for an autograph earlier today,” said Valdes.
School administrators are also impressed. The principal said the young men are great students and a great asset to the school.
“They went out and they put themselves in harm’s way to rescue somebody they don’t know. If that doesn’t, tell you excellence right there, that I don’t know what does,” said Jason Stinson, Principal of PRP High School.
Amid all the attention, the students are hoping to reconnect with the driver.
“I just want to know if he’s okay because he seemed pretty bad at the moment,” Abraham said.
The teen’s quick action turned a potentially tragic situation into a positive outcome, LMPD said
Police said the driver was brought to the hospital by EMS to have his injuries checked out. LMPD said the injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.