Navy Rescue Swimmer Saves Woman From Sinking Car in Virginia

Jeremy Way was enjoying lunch at the Back Deck restaurant in Virginia Beach on Friday when a black SUV plunged into the water right in front of him. Without a second thought, the Navy aviation rescue swimmer kicked into action.

"I was like, 'is anybody in the car?' As soon as somebody said yes, I had already started to pull my phone, my wallet, my knife out of my pocket," Way told reporters. He dove straight into the freezing water, joined by three other good Samaritans who didn't know each other but shared the same instinct to help.

The scene was chaotic and urgent. The woman inside initially didn't want to be rescued, but the team kept talking to her, coaxing her to let them help. When they couldn't open the doors because the car's electronics had failed, they smashed through the windows with their bare hands.

The water temperature hovered around 45 degrees, cold enough to cause hypothermia within minutes. By the time Way and the others pulled the woman through the broken window, the entire vehicle had disappeared beneath the surface.

"It was just in the nick of time, like a movie," Way said. His hands are now cut up and bandaged from breaking the glass, but he brushes off the injuries as a small price to pay.

Why This Inspires

Way's heroism is powerful, but so is his vulnerability. He shared that he's faced his own mental health struggles, which gave him perspective on what the woman might be going through. Instead of judging, he acted with pure compassion.

His message to anyone struggling resonates beyond this single rescue. "There is help out there. There are avenues. There's the suicide hotline, there's people out there. You actually probably do have friends that care and love you," he said.

The rescue shows what happens when training meets courage meets basic human decency. Way's skills as a rescue swimmer certainly helped, but the three other strangers who jumped in didn't have specialized training. They just had the will to help someone in desperate need.

Virginia Beach police are investigating the incident, which happened around 1:17 p.m. on Shore Drive. The woman was treated by EMS and is alive today because four people chose to act instead of stand by.

For anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.