Norfolk, Va. - Norfolk police officers offered their thanks to the Lyons Shipyard workers who saved a teenager`s life.
“I only did what I would want somebody to do for me if I was in that situation,” says Bryan Lindsey.
Lindsey, Russell Orr, and Christian Crabtree were working on their tugboat Wednesday morning in the Elizabeth River near the Campostella Bridge.
Then they heard a call to action over their radio. Someone had jumped in the river.
“We immediately broke the boat down and headed over toward the bridge,” says Crabtree.
They found the teen shivering, barely able to talk.
“He looked shocked. Looked cold. Just wanted some heat,” says Lindsey. “He said thank you. That`s the only thing he was saying, is thank you.”
“We wrapped him up in what we had and tried to keep him warm until we got over here at pier side,” says Orr.
Police and an ambulance were waiting.
“When I talked to him on the tugboat, I urged him that he was going to be okay, that he wasn`t in trouble and we would try to get him some help,” says Officer Joel Cavazos.
“You`re kind of scared for the kid. You know he`s disoriented when he got off the boat. You could see the look on his face, he was very cold,” says Lindsey Parker.
Norfolk police say they were making moves to get to the teen when someone reported that he`d jumped.
But the shipyard workers were in the right place - at the right time - with warm hearts.
The shipyward workers say unfortunately - they`ve seen things like this happen before - and they are grateful they were able to help the teenager.
We`re told he was taken to the hospital and is recovering well with his family.
