WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – One man is being praised as a hero after he saved another man from drowning in the Cape Fear River on Saturday night.

He’s a firefighter who was off-duty when he saw the man fighting for his life.

Steve Hunt is a captain with the New Hanover County Fire Department who says he was simply doing his job. He says he didn’t hesitate to jump in the water, especially since a man’s life was on the line.

“There was no hesitation it was an instinct,” said Captain Hunt. “I’m calling for him to reach for my hand. And he’s just not, he’s not swimming good at all. His head is going under, and then he would get up just for a moment, and then it would go under,” said Hunt.

Hunt says the rescue, didn’t come easy. That’s because the man he was trying to save, did not want to be saved at first.

“He starts just pulling for the river, and saying, let me go just let me go. I can’t go. Just let me go. I want to die,” said Hunt.

But at no time, was Hunt ever going to let the man go. He believes the man, whose name is unknown, was trying to end his life that night.

But Hunt said he did everything he could to make sure the man would live.

“I was trying to keep him focused on anything else other than, you know, the bad stuff,” said Hunt. “I was like, ‘Hey, man, I know it’s kind of a weird time. But look at the battleship, how cool it looks, we got a view here that most people don’t get to have.’ It was kind of a peaceful moment in this weird chaos.”

Captain Hunt’s girlfriend Heather Miller, saw the whole thing happen.

She says she was terrified for her boyfriend’s life when he jumped, but she wasn’t surprised.

“I would expect nothing less. And I feel like anything that comes up where somebody needs help, he’s a given. It’s not a question. It’s just instinct,” said Miller.

And although scared at the time, she said he’s glad he intervened.

“That man was obviously not in a good place that night,” said Miller. “If other people can read that story and find themselves asking, ‘Does my life matter?’ Yes. It does matter, so much that a stranger would risk their own.”

A stranger turned hero for one man who chalks it all up to “just doing his job.”

“I don’t know if I’m in on the hero part of it. But it’s nice. Anybody else that was here, wearing one of the uniforms, and I think probably half our community, would have done the same exact thing,” said Hunt.

Out of respect, WECT has not tried to identify the man who was treated on the scene.

Hunt says New Hanover County firefighters go through training for situations exactly like this one. He says because of that, he felt more than prepared.

Ironically enough, Captain Hunt was wearing a shirt that night that said “lifeguard” on it. He said he was meant to save that man’s life.

If anyone is struggling with their mental health you can call 988 for 24/7 help.

Copyright 2024 WECT. All rights reserved.