Two teens rescue elderly man from Hewletts Creek on New Year’s Day

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Two young men in the right place at the right time, are being credited for rescuing an elderly man on New Year’s Day, who fell out of his boat while fishing.

“When we pulled him out of the water, he was in rough shape. He was pretty pale, his legs were pretty purple and he was cut up pretty badly from the oysters,” said Jack Cantey.

18-year-old Jack Cantey and 19-year-old Daniel Byman were fishing with another friend on Hewletts Creek when they saw an empty boat.

As they neared the boat, they heard calls for help, and saw 87-year old Bill Hurst clinging to the side of it.

The pair says they jumped into action to bring him to shore.

“My first instinct, I didn’t really think about it much. We just jumped in the water,” said Daniel Byman.

“We pulled him in the boat. He was pretty out of it, he didn’t know how old he was, where he was, and then we kind of got him warmed up a little bit, and we paddled him to a dock,” said Cantey.

A man checking on an out of town friend’s home, where the dock was, saw the situation unfold and says the two young men are heroes.

“He just wanted to go home. So we, –I ran in the house I got a blanket, we covered him. The boys were on –already on the phone with 911, calling 911 for assistance, but these two young men came along at the perfect time. They estimated five more minutes in the water, and the elderly man would have perished,” said Frank Brostrom.

Cantey and Byman are thankful they were able to help Hurst, a Wilmington native and longtime fisherman.

“It just feels like, blessed, almost.  I mean, he could have died out there. So, I’m glad that we got there at that time and that day. I mean, we weren’t even going to go fishing, but thank God we were there,” said Byman.

Hurst is being treated for hypothermia at a local care center, and his condition has improved.