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.
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.”