JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WSVN) — A Florida family enjoying a day at the beach sprinted into action to save a man in the water struggling 50 feet from the shore.
An end-of-school siesta for Kay Williams and his family was interrupted by screams in Jacksonville Beach.
“I really came to the beach to have some margaritas and some tacos,” said Kay. “But, you know, things happen.”
Brandon Williams, Kay’s son, said he was in the water when he first heard a man and woman screaming after a passing wave revealed someone in trouble.
“She was like, ‘help him, help him,'” said Brandon. “He was also saying help, but he was, like, whispering it.”
Kay’s other son, Zayden, went to get his dad.
“We just got to help them; we got to help the person,” said Zayden. “Because he’s drowning, I don’t want to see anyone die.”
Kay said his sons pulled the man to shore, then he helped him into the sand. His wife captured the moments after helping the man sit up.
“So I grab him, I pull him up, right here, and then he starts just, like, just all kinds of stuff.”
“We’ve got to get him checked out. The ambulance is gonna have to check him out,” Kay’s wife could be heard saying in the cellphone video while Kay helped the man sit up in the sand.
“Is he breathing?” a paramedic could be heard asking as they arrived to check on the man.
“Yeah, he’s been in and out,” Kay’s wife told the paramedic.
Kay said he never went to the beach hoping to be a hero, so he’s giving credit to his sons, whom he’s most proud of.
“It took, like, a whole community effort to save Jeremiah that day,” he said. “Words can’t explain it, man. It’s just God was here, and he worked through us.”
The mother of the man they helped, whose name is Jeremiah, expressed her gratitude towards Kay and his family, telling them they hope to meet them after Jeremiah makes a full recovery.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.