Montana Teen's Rodeo Skills Save Drowning Man in Incredible Yellowstone River Rescue

July 21, 2026

A 14-year-old Montana ranch kid turned a skill he had been practicing for cattle into a life saving rescue when he lassoed a man being swept away by the Yellowstone River.

Jory Thomas / Credit: Isabel Spartz/MTN News

On July 5, Jory Thomas was camping with his family near Greycliff when desperate cries for help shattered the quiet afternoon.

"We all heard, 'Help, help,'" Jory recalled. "There's two or three people floating down the river, one hanging on to the cooler, and he wasn't saying anything."

A raft and paddleboard had collided with a bridge pillar, throwing four people into the fast moving river. Three were able to reach shore, but one man continued drifting downstream while desperately clinging to a cooler.

Jory knew there wasn't a second to waste.

"This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly," he said. "Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn't want to see anyone go in front of me."

The teenager emptied his pockets, splashed through a waist deep side channel, and raced along the riverbank to catch up with the struggling man.

Fortunately, he had something with him that would make all the difference.

Earlier that year, Jory had become serious about learning to rope while helping at local cattle brandings. Nearly every evening, he practiced with a roping dummy, sharpening a skill he assumed would only ever be useful on the ranch.

"I actually started really getting into roping this year," he said. "I went to brandings and started roping cattle then, and I started getting better. Every afternoon when it cools off, I go out and rope the roping dummy."

His grandmother, Sandy Thomas, found it remarkable that he had even brought his lariat along.

"We come down to this campground a couple times during the summer," she said. "Jory comes over quite frequently and has never, ever brought his lariat with him before. And that day he did."

Standing on the riverbank, Jory grabbed his 12 foot lariat and trusted the skill he had spent months developing.

"My first instinct was try and rope him and drag him out before he gets too far down the river," he said. "Luckily, I caught him first try."

With the rope secured, Jory carefully pulled the man through chest deep water until he reached safety, where first responders were able to take over.

"I felt pretty good afterwards that I knew he was okay and was out of the water," Jory said.

When he returned to his family, his grandmother remembers exactly what he told them.

"He comes up, and he said, 'I think I just saved a life,'" Sandy said. "And we all said, 'Yeah, you did.'"

Jory comes from a family of first responders, with his father and brothers serving on the local fire department. He said he felt called to act in that critical moment.

"God was basically putting me in the place of all this," he said. "God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, 'Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.'"

His grandmother says his courage that day was simply an extension of the person he has always been.

"His first instinct always is to help other people. He's always been that way," she said. "The whole community is proud of him."

Looking back, Jory is still amazed that the same rope he practiced with for cattle ended up saving someone's life.

"I just thought I could help with cattle," he said. "Not really helping humans and stuff like that. But I'm glad I was here to help."