Good Samaritan recalls jumping from bridge to save girl, 2
A Maryland man is being hailed as a hero for leaping off a bridge into a bay to save a 2-year-old girl who had been ejected into the water from a wrecked vehicle
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Maryland man is being hailed as a hero for leaping off a bridge into a bay to save a 2-year-old girl who had been ejected from a wrecked vehicle into the waters below.
Ocean City emergency responders met up Friday with Jonathan Bauer, who shared his story publicly for the first time since the crash May 2 that prompted him to leap from a height of at least 25 feet (7 meters) into the water, the Daily Times reported.
Bauer was running errands with his 13-year-old daughter when five vehicles collided that Sunday not far from him on the Route 90 bridge over Assawoman Bay in Ocean City. He said he saw one of the vehicles, a truck, left teetering on the bridge’s guardrail.
“First thing I remember hearing was the tire screech, and then the truck swaying back and forth like it was losing control,” Bauer said.
Bauer said he went and looked down to the water and saw a car seat and then — about 6 feet (2 meters) away — the little girl floating. He said he frantically looked to see if there were any boats nearby that could come to her aid.
At first, he said, “I saw the little girl and she was on her back floating perfectly on her back, arms moving, legs kicking.” Choking up, he added, “Then I looked over to the water and she had flipped over onto her stomach and her face was in the water.”
He plunged in and rescued the girl, who was airlifted to a hospital in Baltimore the report said. Police say the girl is expected to make a full recovery, adding seven others in the crash have since been treated at hospitals and released.
Ocean City Fire Chief Richard Bowers called Bauer a “humble hero” for putting his own life on the line by plunging into the shallow water from high up.
“What he did was without question a heroic thing, and very courageous thing to jump into over the railing, down 25 to 30 feet into open water,” Bowers said.