Tennessee College Student Rescues Autistic Toddler From Swift Creek Current

Tennessee College Student Rescues Autistic Toddler From Swift Creek Current

A Carson-Newman University junior saved a 3-year-old boy with autism from fast-moving water near the Jefferson City, Tennessee campus. Noah Mathews was walking alongside a creek around 3:30 p.m. Monday when he spotted the toddler clinging to a submerged tree branch. He immediately lowered himself into the rushing current and pulled the child to safety. Mathews then called campus security, sat with the boy on a nearby bench, and turned on cartoons to keep him calm until police arrived. Officers confirmed the child had wandered from his home. “I did something to better someone’s life, I guess,” Mathews said. Police credited his quick, selfless response with likely preventing a tragedy. The boy was checked out and safely returned to his mother. Story URL