Officer Rescues Man From Drowning in St. Johns River
Before joining the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), Officer Robert Green was a lifeguard. That experience helped save a man’s life early Sunday morning near Memorial Park in Riverside.
Just after midnight, JSO received a call about a drowning person in the St. Johns River. District 5 patrol officers rushed to the riverbank and saw a man in distress being pulled downstream by the current. As one officer tried to throw a rescue line toward him, Officer Green removed his ballistics vest and gun belt and jumped into the water without hesitation.
Risking his own safety and knowing how fast-moving the current is in that area, Green swam to the man and brought him back to the bulkhead. There, fellow officers pulled the man to safety and cared for him until Jacksonville Fire and Rescue arrived. The man was barely conscious, confused, and had swallowed a significant amount of water. Both JSO and JFRD have rescue boats, but Green recognized he could not wait for them to arrive.
The man was treated at a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
While officers don’t know exactly how the man ended up in the river, he was intoxicated and appears to have been leaving a night out at local bars.
To view the post regarding this rescue on JSO's social media platforms, please click on one of the following links:
Facebook |
Instagram |
YouTube |
X