Father, 14-year-old son jump into Boca Raton canal to save teen boy inside submerged car

BOCA RATON, Fla. ā€“ A father and his teenage son are being hailed as heroes for saving a young childā€™s life.

That boy was riding in a car when it suddenly ended up in a canal.

The car a pair of teens were traveling in veered off the roadway and took a part of a guardrail down before plunging into a Boca Raton canal.

14-year-old Samuel Shapshal and his father saw the commotion and jumped in to help, pulling a boy to safety.

ā€œThe only thing that was going through my head was getting the kid out of there alive,ā€ said Samuel.

It happened shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sunday off Clint Moore Road.

Samuel and his family were coming home from an early dinner and saw a guardrail smashed and another teen crying for help.

ā€œIt was pretty scary, I didnā€™t think about it at the time,ā€ Samuel said. ā€œThere was no time to call 911 or do anything.ā€

Samuelā€™s father Yuri thought of his own children and immediately jumped in to help, his son right by his side.

ā€œI immediately tried to get the back door open, luckily it was unlocked and I was able to force it open and my son just reached in and grabbed the child and hugged him and pulled him out of the car to safety,ā€ Yuri explained.

The Shapshal family is thankful the teenage victim is okay and that they were at the right place at the right time.

ā€œThe look on his face and the look on everyone elseā€™s face was priceless,ā€ said Samuel. ā€œSeeing that, it paid off what we did, me and my dad.ā€

Added Yuri: ā€œIā€™m so proud of my 14-year son, I donā€™t know many 14-year-olds that would jump in and risk their life to save somebody elses.ā€

Samuel said he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.

As far as the victim, authorities said he didnā€™t need any type of medical treatment following this crash.


About the Author:

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer.Ā In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.