A 14-year-old from Montana displayed courage when he used his practiced cowboy skills to rescue a drowning man. This act unfolded after a rafting mishap in the Yellowstone River. Jory Thomas, the young rancher-in-training, attributes his timely action to divine intervention.
During a family camping trip near Greycliff, Montana, on July 5, Thomas and his family heard cries for help. “We all heard, ‘Help, help,'” Thomas recounted to KTVQ. They saw two or three people floating downriver. One man, clinging to a cooler, remained silent.
“I focused on helping him out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone suffer,” Thomas stated.
The Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office honored Thomas with a Certificate of Achievement for his heroism.
A rafting and paddleboarding accident occurred when a bridge pillar caused four people to be thrown into the river. While three managed to swim to shore, one man continued drifting downstream.
Recognizing the urgency, Thomas acted swiftly. He emptied his pockets, waded through a waist-deep channel, and ran along the riverbank. In an unplanned move, he brought a 12-foot lariat on this camping trip, a decision his grandmother noted as unprecedented.
“I thought I could rope him and pull him in before he got too far,” Thomas explained. Fortunately, his first attempt succeeded.
The teenager pulled the man through chest-deep waters to safety as first responders approached.
Thomas shared that he only began taking his roping skills seriously this year while working on the family ranch. His confidence grew with practice.
“My faith guided me to act,” he said. “God was directing me and telling me, ‘Go get him, you got it.'”
Reflecting on the situation, Thomas expressed surprise that his ranching skills saved a life. “I thought I could help with cattle, not people, but I’m grateful I was there,” he remarked.
The Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged Thomas’s bravery with a certificate. Sheriff Alan Ronneberg and Undersheriff Ron Swanson commended the teen for his quick response.
The sheriff’s office praised him in a social media post saying, “Well done, Jory!”