One Montana Teen Is Being Hailed As A Hero
14-year-old Jory Thomas was camping with his family when he suddenly heard cries for help coming from across the river. The teen was visiting Yellowstone River on July 5 when the incident occured.
“We all heard, ‘Help, help,’” Thomas recalled. “There’s two or three people floating down the river, one hanging on to the cooler, and he wasn’t saying anything.”
Four people were tossed into the river after their raft and paddleboard hit a bridge pillar. Three made it to shore, but one man remained in the fast-moving water, hanging onto a cooler as he drifted downstream.
Jory Thomas Uses His Lasso To Save A Man Drowning
According to local news outlet KRTV, Thomas quickly emptied his pockets, splashed through a waist-deep channel, and sprinted alongside the river to reach the man struggling to stay afloat.
“This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” he said. “Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone go in front of me.”
Thankfully, the young man had brought his rodeo lasso along, not knowing how vital the tool would be that day.
“I actually started really getting into roping this year. I went to brandings and started roping cattle then, and I started getting better,” Thomas said. “Every afternoon when it cools off, I go out and rope the roping dummy.”
Montana teen puts roping skills to use and helps save a man in need. Way to go, Jory.https://t.co/dUEPh88W1t
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) July 21, 2026
Thomas explains that when the man was struggling, he immediately reached for his 12-foot lariat and tossed the loop in the fast-moving water.
“First instinct I thought was try and rope him and drag him out before he gets too far down the river,” Thomas recalled. “Luckily, I caught him first try.”
The teen said at the end of the day, he felt God had put him in that spot for a reason, and he knew it was his purpose to save that man’s life.
“God was basically putting me in the place of all this,” he said. “God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, ‘Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.’”
You can watch the teenager’s full heroic rescue story below.
