Montana Teen Says God Coached Him As He Used a Lasso Rope to Save Man from Drowning
A Montana 14-year-old is being hailed as a hero for using a lasso rope to rescue a man from drowning in a river over the July Fourth weekend.
But Jory Thomas said the credit goes to God.
“God was basically putting me in the place of all this,” he told KTVQ-TV.
“God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, ‘Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.’”
Thomas was with his family at a campground on the Yellowstone River near Greycliff when the drama unfolded, according to KTVQ.
A raft and paddleboard had struck a bridge piling, throwing the four occupants into the water.
“We all heard, ‘Help, help,’” Thomas told the TV news outlet. “There’s two or three people floating down the river, one hanging on to the cooler, and he wasn’t saying anything.”
Three of them swam to shore, but the man clinging to the cooler began quickly floating downstream.
“This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” Thomas said.
The young man quickly sprang into action, racing along the bank to catch up with the man.
🚨#BREAKING: A 14-year-old boy is being praised as a HERO after he used his LASSO to SAVE A DROWNING MAN AND DRAG HIM TO SHORE…
…ON HIS FIRST THROW!!!
His name is Jory Thomas, he’s a 14-year-old from Montana.
On July 5, he was camping with his family near Greycliff when a… pic.twitter.com/rus31jXTQv
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 21, 2026
Once he was in position, he threw the lasso. “Luckily, I caught him first try,” he said.
By the time emergency responders arrived a few minutes later, the man was safe on shore, according to the Cowboy State Daily.
“My opinion, Jory saved the individual’s life, 100%,” Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg told Cowboy State Daily.
Thomas’ grandmother, Sandy Thomas, said the family had been to that spot many times over many years, but it was the first time Jory had ever thought to bring a rope with him.
“We come down to this campground a couple times during the summer,” she told KTVQ. “Jory comes over quite frequently and has never, ever brought his lariat with him before.”
“And that day he did.”
Her grandson has only been actively practicing with a lasso rope — also called a lariat — for about a year.
“I went to brandings and started roping cattle then, and I started getting better,” he said. “Every afternoon when it cools off, I go out and rope the roping dummy.”
“I just thought I could help with cattle. Not really helping humans and stuff like that,” Thomas said. “But I’m glad I was here to help.”
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