Jory Thomas, 14, became an unexpected hero after he used a lasso to rescue a man who was being swept away by the current of the Yellowstone River in Greycliff, Montana, after an inflatable boat crashed into a bridge pillar.

For his performance, the Sweet Grass County Sheriff's Office awarded him a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of his bravery.

The accident occurred during a recreational day

The rescue occurred on July 5, when Thomas was camping with his family near the river.

According to the teenager, he heard cries for help coming from the other bank.

According to available information, four people fell into the water after an inflatable raft and a paddle board collided with one of the pillars of a bridge.

Three of them managed to reach the shore, but one man continued to be swept away by the strong current while clinging to a cooler to stay afloat.

Seeing the situation, Thomas quickly emptied his pockets, crossed a canal where the water was up to his waist, and threw his lasso approximately 12 feet toward the victim.

“The only thing I could think about was helping him get out of the water because I didn't want to see anyone die in front of me,” said the young man.

Their goal was to hook the man before the current carried him downstream.

“Luckily, I caught it on the first try,” he explained.

He then managed to slowly drag him towards the shore until emergency teams arrived.

A skill learned on the ranch

Thomas explained that he began practicing lassoing earlier this year on the ranch where he grew up.

He said that he began participating in cattle marking sessions and that since then he has dedicated part of each afternoon to perfecting his technique by throwing the lasso over a practice dummy.

"I never thought those skills would be useful for helping people. I thought they would only be useful for working with livestock. But I'm glad I was there to help," he said.

Images shared by his family show the teenager training with the lasso while riding a horse.

The young man's grandmother, Sandy Thomas, said that the family usually visits that same camp every summer, but that her grandson had never brought the lasso with him before.

“That day was the first time he took it,” he recalled.

After completing the rescue, the teenager returned to his family and told them: “I think I just saved a life.”

Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg agreed with that assessment.

“If Jory had not acted, I think the chances of that person making it to shore alive were very slim,” he said.

The official also highlighted that the young man reacted immediately.

"He didn't take out a phone to record what was happening; he took out a noose. He didn't just watch, he intervened," he said.

His father recognizes the risk he took

Jase Thomas, the teenager's father, confessed that during the rescue he was afraid that his son would also be swept away by the current.

“My biggest concern was that he would be able to return safely,” he said.

However, he stressed that the young man acted with a single purpose.

“He only had one thing in mind and he achieved it,” he said, convinced that his son's quick intervention prevented the emergency from ending in tragedy.

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