The man slipped into the raging rapids of the Assunpink Creek, near Broad Street, in Trenton yesterday.
He was trying to cool off from the hot weather.
When Trenton firefighters arrived at Mill Hill Park Tuesday afternoon, the victim, identified as Carlos Gomes, was clinging to a log in the rushing water after going under twice and about to give up.
"He was very fatigued. He was fatigued to the point where he was letting go. Another minute or so it was over and we knew it and we knew we had to act fast," Trenton Fire Department Battalion Chief Peter Fiabane said.
Firefighter Anthony Moran and swiftwater rescue instructor Kevin Rice struggled to put a life preserver on Gomes and pull him out of the chilly creek.
"It was a good struggle. The water was cold. It was moving fast and when you can't see the bottom, you don't where you're stepping or what you're stepping on," Rice said.
When Gomes was finally pulled out he was carried up a ladder that was dropped into the creek and all but collapsed. He's still being evaluated at a local hospital.
"I was glad that we were there to do our job and it had a good outcome. It was scary, dangerous and also part of it was very exciting," Rice said.
The battalion chief is calling this water rescue one of the greatest he's seen in over 40 years on the job and he's recommending the firefighters involved for a special commendation.
And Kevin Rice will be able to tell his 5-mont- old daughter quite a story when she grows up.
