After 20-year-old Jake Manna sprang to the rescue to save a five-year-old girl idling in a marsh, Plymouth credited the man with saving the child’s life.
“I’m not a hero,” said Manna. “Anyone would do it in my shoes.”
Manna was at his job installing solar panels on a home in Plymouth when word reached him that an autistic five-year-old girl had gone missing.
The Hanover man, accompanied by a neighbor, journeyed into the woods to search. When he saw a diaper and a long t-shirt in the water of a creek, Manna thought the worst.
“My heart dropped,” said Manna. “I sprinted to the marsh area.”
Manna began calling to the girl, pleading with her to come to shore. When she would not move, Manna shed his socks and shoes to wade into the water after her. Manna was able to collect the missing girl and pass her to the neighbor waiting on the bank.
“I’m very grateful to the gentleman and thank God he was there,” the mother of the rescued child told 7NEWS.
According to Plymouth Police Captain Jason Higgins, the actions of Manna
“There’s a lot of rivers- the marshy area. Dangerous place for a five-year-old,” said Higgins. “The little girl did have a guardian angel and his name was Jake.”
Manna later received an award from the Plymouth Police Chief and went out to dinner later that evening, where he said he was treated to a free meal.
“A random couple offered- actually, they didnt offer. They just paid for it and didnt tell me and just left,” said Manna. “It was really cool.”
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