MIAMI — A 22-year-old man is being praised as a Good Samaritan after jumping into the Miami River near the Riverwalk in downtown Miami to rescue a man who was struggling in the water.

Awab Metwally said he didn’t hesitate when it sounded like someone was in danger.

“I was like flying because I know there’s something going on,” Metwally said. “There was like an emergency. So I have to act.”

Video shows Metwally running from behind the cameraman before jumping into the water to rescue a man who couldn’t hold onto a ring buoy that had been thrown to him.

“That guy, he was sinking. He was dropping into the water,” Metwally said.

He said watching others throw a lifesaver without jumping in convinced him he needed to act.

“Nobody is doing anything. They’re just throwing to him a lifesaver. Nobody jumped. Nobody did anything. So I said, ‘This guy is going to die,’” he said.

Metwally said it wasn’t easy pushing the man to the back end of the yacht.

“It was hard for me to grab him and to push him all the way to the top of the water, but I did my best,” he said.

Metwally said he started swimming at a very young age in Egypt and was a champion swimmer.

“Thanks to my mom and dad, they put me in swimming training since I was a kid. That paid off today,” he said.

Those lessons have earned him the title of Good Samaritan.

“So if I see somebody, I will do it for sure again. I get goosebumps really bad, but I will do it,” he said.

Metwally said paramedics performed life-saving measures on the man before taking him to a hospital. First responders have not released any information on the man’s condition.

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