Off-Duty Firefighter Jumps Into N.C. River to Save Drowning Man [Video]

An off-duty firefighter didn’t hesitate when he came across a man drowning in a North Carolina river.

Steve Hunt, a captain with the New Hanover County Fire Department, was walking along Cape Fear River to “catch the end of the sunset” with his girlfriend when they noticed that a man who had been walking along the river’s edge got swept away by the currents.

In a social media post, his girlfriend said they both spotted the man “going under and not resurfacing,” which is when Hunt jumped into the river to save him.

“There was no hesitation. It was an instinct,” Hunt told local NBC affiliate WECT. 

The fire captain noted that the rescue was a bit more difficult than others due to the fact that the man initially struggled to accept help.

“He starts just pulling for the river, and saying, ‘Let me go just let me go. I can’t go. Just let …