Off-Duty Firefighter Hears Desperate Cries and Saves Three Children Trapped Beneath Overturned Boat

July 10, 2026

What began as a Fourth of July outing on a Texas lake quickly turned into a life or death emergency. Thanks to one firefighter who happened to be in exactly the right place, three children were given a second chance.

Jason Horne / Credit: KENS5.com

Jason Horne, a firefighter and medic with the Midlothian Fire Department, was spending the holiday on Alvarado Park Lake with his 12-year-old daughter, Emilie, when panicked boaters began waving for help.

A boat carrying nine people had overturned, trapping three children underneath the hull.

"I just saw him dive in," Emilie recalled.

Without waiting for emergency crews to arrive, Horne jumped into the water and swam toward the capsized boat.

Visibility beneath the overturned vessel was poor, but he refused to give up.

"I went underwater, under the boat, reached up, seeing if I could grab anything, and I felt a life jacket," Horne said.

He pulled out a young boy who was still breathing, then immediately dove back under the boat.

"I took a breath, dove underneath the boat again, reached like I did the first time and I grabbed a leg."

This time, he surfaced with a young girl who was unresponsive.

Standing on the flat bottom of the overturned boat, Horne began CPR. Moments later, the girl started breathing again.

Still knowing another child remained trapped, Horne went back into the water. His first attempt came up empty because of the murky conditions. As other boaters worked together to flip the vessel upright, the third child surfaced from the side.

"He had a bunch of anchor line rope wrapped around his body," Horne said.

The boy was not breathing, but Horne was able to restore his pulse before rushing him to shore, where emergency responders had arrived.

All three children were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and observation. Authorities said no additional life threatening injuries were reported.

The Alvarado Police Department praised Horne's actions, saying, "We are incredibly grateful for the courageous and selfless actions of the off duty firefighter whose immediate response made a critical difference during this emergency. His willingness to act without hesitation exemplifies the very best of the public safety profession."

Police also recognized the teamwork of the bystanders and first responders who helped during the rescue.

For Horne, who is also the father of four, the experience became emotional once the emergency was over.

"For my children's sake I was trying to keep myself together after it was over," he said. "I had a little emotional moment in the boat when it was just me and my wife. It's a little emotional now."

Looking back, Horne said he simply feels grateful that fate placed him there when he was needed most.

"I'm glad that whatever lined up, lined up that we were where we were when we were there."

Three children are alive today because one father, one firefighter, and one ordinary family outing turned into an extraordinary act of courage.

Meet Jason Horne in the interview below: