A routine drive to work for St. Anthony Fire Chief Mark Sitarz turned into anything but
He pulled over when he saw a woman running after and trying to catch a boy, WCCO. reported.
"I could just hear screaming coming from the base of this hill. And the father ran up saying, 'You have to help my son, he's in the water! I can't swim! You have to save my son!' And so I ran down here, and at this point they're screaming and yelling, and I stopped at the trail. I took my boots off and took everything else I had off, and my shirt and I just ran into the water."
St. Anthony Police Officer Braden McNair joined in the rescue.
"I could see that the child was probably almost to the middle of the pond, and as I was taking off my stuff, I saw his head kinda dip below the water. Risk a lot to save a lot. There's a kid that could drown, so you don't really think about it. We're going in. We're gonna rescue a kid."
For Sitarz, it could be his last save after a memorable 25-year career that will end in October.
"Births of babies and cardiac arrests that were successful, the 35W Bridge collapse, and this is, I think, a pretty good way to end a career."
