Teenager’s Quick Thinking and Rodeo Skills Result in Daring Rescue on Yellowstone River
July 21, 2026
A young teen from Montana used his rodeo skills in a heroic act to rescue a man from the Yellowstone River. The remarkable incident involved a 14-year-old boy named Jory Thomas, who effectively lassoed a man struggling in the river’s swift current.
Jory Thomas / Credit: Isabel Spartz/MTN News
While on a family camping trip near Greycliff on July 5, cries for help broke the peaceful afternoon. Jory recounted, “We all heard, ‘Help, help,’ and saw two or three people in the water, one clinging to a cooler, but not calling for help.”
The mishap occurred when a raft and paddleboard collided with a bridge pillar, tossing four into the river. Three managed to reach safety, but one man continued to drift downstream.
Observing the dire situation, Jory acted swiftly. “This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” he said. “Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone go in front of me.”
After emptying his pockets, he waded through a side channel and ran along the riverbank to catch up with the man. Fortunately, Jory’s roping skills would prove crucial.
Jory had recently dedicated time to practicing roping, a skill he honed at local cattle brandings. “I actually started really getting into roping this year,” he said. “I went to brandings and started roping cattle then, and I started getting better.”
His grandmother, Sandy Thomas, was surprised he had brought his lariat. “We come down to this campground a couple of times during the summer,” she noted. “Jory comes over quite frequently and has never, ever brought his lariat with him before. And that day he did.”
On the riverbank, Jory relied on his 12-foot lariat and managed to rope the man on his first attempt. He then pulled the man through the water to safety, where emergency responders were ready to assist.
“I felt pretty good afterwards that I knew he was okay and was out of the water,” Jory said. Upon returning to his family, his grandmother recalled him saying, “‘I think I just saved a life,’ and we all said, ‘Yeah, you did.'”
Coming from a family with a history of first responders, Jory felt a calling. “God was basically putting me in the place of all this,” he said. “God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, ‘Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.'”
His grandmother highlighted his instinct to help others. “His first instinct always is to help other people. He’s always been that way,” she said. “The whole community is proud of him.”
Reflecting on the incident, Jory expressed amazement at how his roping skill, initially intended for cattle, ended up saving a person’s life. “I just thought I could help with cattle,” he said. “Not really helping humans and stuff like that. But I’m glad I was here to help.”
