IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — A Utah man made a heroic rescue Saturday morning when he decided to jump into a freezing river in Idaho to save a woman's life.
“It's cold and it’s icy, not to mention the area is extremely dangerous down there,” said Dane Entze.
Entze and his wife, who live in Elk Ridge, Utah, were driving through Idaho Falls on the way home from their anniversary trip.
"We’re fond of the area because we met on our first date there," he said.
Around 10 a.m., they witnessed a shocking moment along the Snake River.
“My wife turns over and says, 'Oh my gosh, Dane, there’s a car driving into the river,'" Entze said. "I look over, look kind of across and look down into the area, and sure enough, there’s an SUV driving into the water — certainly not something you’d expect to see every day.”
The couple knew they had to help. Entze jumped a fence to get onto a ramp and started talking with the woman who was in the water.
“She was pretty calm, but distraught. I asked her... 'Is there anybody else in the car? Are you okay? Are you injured or anything like that?' and she said, 'No, there’s no one else in the car. I’m committing suicide,'” Entze explained. “And so I started talking to her, and I said, 'I don’t know who you are, but I’m here and I love you and I’m going to help you.'”
Entze said he was speaking to the woman as she made her way to the shore. But at one point, she stopped and didn’t want to keep going, saying she didn’t want to live.
“I knew that it was time, we needed to get her out, had to get her out. I threw off my jacket, jumped in the water, and I waded out to her, brought her to the shore," he recalled in an interview with FOX 13 News.
After helping her dry off and warm up for a couple of minutes, first responders arrived at the scene and took over. Entze told FOX 13 he didn’t even realize until that point that he was wet and freezing, and that he needed to warm up as well.
“It was an emotional drive. A couple times on the drive back, we cried a couple times because it gave us a lot to think about," he said. "We have struggles of our own, but some people out there are really hurting”
He added that it was an instance of being in the "right place at the right time," because he knew the area and had some relevant experience — from training in the Air Force to learning some basic techniques from his brother who’s a medic in the Army.
Entze said the experience was overwhelming, but there’s a lesson all of us can learn.
“Doing something kind is all it takes. You don’t have to do something dramatic or dangerous to help somebody else. Be vigilant," he said.
He added that he has been in touch with the woman’s family, and they are grateful that he saved her. He’s also confident she’s getting the help she needs.
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For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can now be reached by simply dialing 988 any time for free support. Resources are also available online at utahsuicideprevention.org.
