Off The Record

7-Year-Old Child Praised As A Hero After Swimming For An Hour To Call For Help To Save His Family

Published on July 24, 2024

When his family was stuck in a river, the seven-year-old child swam for an hour to reach aid, and now he is being praised as a hero.

Incredible reports state that on Friday, May 28, at the start of Memorial Day weekend, Chase Poust was out with his father, Steven, and sister, Abigail, age four.

The three of them had anchored a boat near Mandarin Point in Jacksonville, Florida, on the St. Johns River. Steven was going to take his two kids swimming nearby and do a little fishing.

Chase Poust spent about an hour swimming to shore and was able to get to a nearby home to ask for help. https://t.co/7l3pHRATHo
— WISN 12 NEWS (@WISN12News) May 31, 2021

After swimming for nearly an hour, Chase Poust reached a neighboring house and made a help request.

However, Steven was unaware of how strong the current was, and soon after, seven-year-old Chase saw that Abigail, who was wearing a life jacket, had been dragged out of the boat.

“The current was so strong that my sister — she usually hangs out at the back of the boat — and she let go. So, I let go of the boat and grabbed her, and then, I was stuck,” Chase said in an exclusive interview with news channel WJXT.

Despite not having a life jacket on, Chase abandoned the boat in an attempt to save his sister. Steven dove into the water as well, hoping to snag his daughter, but she kept floating away.

Steven explained to News4Jax: “I told them I loved him because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen. I tried to stick with both of them. I wore myself out. She drifted away from me.”

Even though he was scared, Chase managed to swim to the coast by switching between floating on his back and using a doggie paddle to make sure he didn’t get too tired to keep his head above water.

The tiny kid had to swim against the current for an hour in total before reaching dry land. He ran for assistance from there.

Steven explained: “I screamed for help at the top of my lungs and waved my arms, and sure enough, someone heard us. Little man also made it to shore and got help and that’s what saved our lives.”

After drifting a mile from their boat, Steven and Abigail were found and saved an hour later with the assistance of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Sheriff’s Office.

In Florida, a brave 7-year-old recounts hour-long swim to shore after boating mishap. pic.twitter.com/6w57oFJjAD
— KSL NewsRadio (@kslnewsradio) May 30, 2021

Speaking at a news conference, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Eric Prosswimmer said: “We had every resource we could have possibly had coming quickly and we’re happy to say all three have been recovered, and all three are doing well. We couldn’t ask for a better outcome.”

What a near miss! Thank heavens, tiny Chase could swim and got much-needed assistance.

When out on the water with kids or parents, please always use the utmost caution. This demonstrates how quickly things can and do change.