Young man credited with saving family after jet ski capsizes on Ottawa River
The Ottawa Fire Service is thanking a young man for helping to save a family after their jet ski capsized on the Ottawa River Wednesday.
A water rescue team was called to the area of Lane Street and Bayview Drive in Constance Bay at around 1 p.m.
Two boaters in the area helped bring the three people back to shore, but a young man on his own jet ski was on the scene before the boats, OFS said, and kept the people in the water safe.
"A young man named Jayden stopped on his own jet ski to help the three individuals before they were brought back to shore by the two boats that came later," OFS said in a Twitter thread. "Jayden got the youngest child on his jet ski and allowed the older teenager to hold on the side.
"The third person, the adult, was at risk of losing their lifejacket, did not know how to swim and their muscles were seizing. Jayden held onto the adult's hand until more help arrived. Also, Jayden did all this while calling 911 for help."
OFS said the two children and the adult involved are doing well and their watercraft has been recovered.
Jayden Lamarche didn’t hesitate to help the people in distress in the choppy waters off Constance Bay.
"One of them waved me down and said their dad didn't really know how to swim and I just went from there and did my best to handle the situation calmly and called 911," the 18-year-old said.
"They were holding onto the sides and they were struggling to turn it over and get it to flip back over."
Lamarche said one of the people was crying, and he had her sit on his jet ski while helping her father and older sister.
"Their dad started telling me that they couldn’t swim and that their lifejacket was slipping and that he was having trouble so I went over and I got closer so I had his youngest grab onto my jet ski and get up."
The Ottawa Fire Service says the jet ski was a rental, but it's not clear what happened with the vessel.
Ottawa Fire's district chief is now trying to recruit Jayden to become a volunteer firefighter in Dunrobin. Lamarche was presented with a coin for his bravery and hard work.
"I don’t think I’m a hero," Lamarche said. "I just think I was doing the right thing and I was there at the right time."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders push back on 'misguided criticism' of grocer as boycott begins
Loblaw's new chief executive, as well as chairman Galen Weston, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a push to boycott the company gains steam online.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.