SANTA ANA, Calif.—A bystander rescued a boy who fell into the Santa Ana Riverbed in Santa Ana March 12 and was swept downstream.
The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) received a call about the boy at 2:05 p.m., according to a statement from the agency.
“A little boy was swept away and traveled approximately half a mile down the Santa Ana River Bed this afternoon when he got too close to the water’s edge,” the fire authority wrote on Twitter.
“The child’s father went into the water to get him but was unable to. Fortunately, a bystander saw the child floating down river jumped in and was able to rescue the boy,” it said.
An OCFA Swift Water Rescue Team responded but found the three already out of the water in the area of Fairview Street and the riverbed, officials said.
Paramedics treated the boy at the scene and he had stable vital signs when he was taken to a hospital.
