Nic Berry, 19, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla. didn’t hesitate to rush into action when an elderly gentleman fell into a murky canal.
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Berry was said to have been changing a customer’s car battery at an AutoZone when he heard the man screaming inside of the creek, reports the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Berry quickly prepared himself to enter the water and proceeded the pull the man to a dry bank about 100 feet away. Berry was only wearing his boxers, shoes and socks when he rescued the man.
The teen then called the police for help. A video recording of the 911 call was shared with the public:
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The elderly gentleman was later revealed to be a 56-year-old man named Alex who was also a diabetic. He tripped and fell into the water while walking home from a hospital where his wife was admitted.
“I told him to have a happy day and not to fall into any more ponds,” Berry recalled.
Melody Moses, Berry’s mother, expressed great pride for her son’s heroic actions.
“He told me, ‘I guess I did my good deed for the year,'” she said. “That’s when I told him, ‘No, Nicholas, you did a good deed that not a lot of people would’ve done in a lifetime.'”
Berry braved all sorts of potential threats, such as dangerous snakes and alligators. His actions come only weeks after a video surfaced of teens laughing while a disabled man drowned.