Stories about everyday Americans stepping up when disaster strikes never get old.
A Virginia Beach rescue proved there's still heroes among us.
And a Navy rescue swimmer used one technique that saved a woman from drowning in her SUV.
Navy Veteran Dove Into Action During Waterside Lunch
Jeremy Way was having lunch with a friend at Bubba's Restaurant in Virginia Beach when he heard a massive crash outside.
The 17-year Navy veteran didn't hesitate for a second.
Water was thundering against the restaurant patio windows way higher than it should have been.
Way realized an SUV had driven off the boat ramp and was sinking fast between two restaurants on Shore Drive.
"I'd already been taking my phone and my wallet, my knife out of my pocket, and once I confirmed there was a person, I just dove right in," Way said.
The vehicle was plunging beneath the surface with a terrified woman trapped inside.
Way and three other civilians jumped into the water despite the danger.
People from nearby docks started throwing items to help while others tried smashing windows to get her out.
Woman Refused To Unlock Door As Vehicle Went Underwater
What happened next shows why trained rescue swimmers are worth their weight in gold.
Way swam up to the sinking SUV and found the woman behind the wheel clearly distraught.
She was panicking and refused to unlock the door even as water poured in around her.
"I told her to 'unlock it, unlock it,'" Way recalled.
"And she was like, 'No, I'm not unlocking it. I don't want to be here.'"
Way tried talking her through it but the situation was deteriorating by the second.
"I told her, like 'We've all been there, just unlock it,'" Way explained.
"She no longer could unlock it. She tried picking it with her fingers and tried to unlock the door, but it wasn't working."
The SUV was going down fast.
Another rescuer managed to climb inside and pull the woman free just before the vehicle disappeared completely underwater.
Navy Training Kicked In During Critical Moment
This is where Way's 17 years as an aviation rescue swimmer made all the difference.
"The car was completely underwater," Way said.
"She finally came out, and I did what I've always been taught, some rescue swimmer techniques."
Way executed a cross-chest carry, positioning the woman on his hip and swimming her to the pylons.
The technique is specifically designed for moving panicking victims through dangerous water while keeping their head above the surface and giving the rescuer maximum control.
It's one of 11 different carry methods rescue swimmers must master during training that boasts more than a 50% attrition rate.
Navy and Coast Guard rescue swimmers spend months learning to function effectively for 30 minutes in heavy seas while maintaining control of distressed victims.
Way swam the woman to safety while consoling her the entire way.
"I was holding her the whole time, trying to console her, tell her that it's OK, like everything happens for a reason, like mental health is no joke," Way said.
"We've all been there and got her out of the water, got myself out of the water, out of the boat, rather, and that was it."
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Emergency medical services took over care once they reached shore.
Training Saves Lives When Civilians Step Up
Dan Baker, a manager at Bubba's, watched the whole rescue unfold from inside the restaurant.
"The car started to sink, and then two of these guys, these citizens, heroines, just lifted this person out of the water as the car was gone," Baker said.
"I mean, they just lifted this person out of the water. It was crazy. It was surreal."
The woman and two rescuers were taken to the hospital with non-serious injuries.
Way's Navy training made him immediately recognize the situation and execute the right technique.
Bystander rescues in water are extremely dangerous without proper training.
Studies show that when multiple drowning deaths occur in a single incident, the majority of victims are actually untrained rescuers who jumped in to help.
Experts consistently recommend using poles, ropes, or flotation equipment without entering the water when possible.
But when someone like Way with professional rescue training happens to be at the right place at the right time, lives get saved.
"I got out to get some lunch, it was meant to be man," Way said.
"I'm an aviation rescue swimmer, this was… I was here for a reason."
"So others may live. It's our motto."
That Navy motto proved true when years of training kicked in during a life-or-death moment.
Way pulled off a textbook rescue using skills honed through years of dedication to saving lives.
Virginia Beach got to witness what happens when professional training meets selfless courage.
Sources:
- Carli Eastwood, "Good Samaritans Help Rescue Woman Trapped In Sinking SUV," Country Rebel, January 21, 2026.
- "Navy rescue swimmer deemed hero after saving woman from drowning," 13News Now, January 2026.
- "'I was here for a reason': Man eating lunch rescues woman from sinking vehicle," Local 12, January 2026.
- "Heroic rescue: Video shows Good Samaritans saving driver from sinking SUV in Virginia Beach," WAVY, January 2026.
- "Fundamentals of Open Water Rescue," Fire Engineering, September 2024.
- "Here Are the Fitness Standards to Become a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer," Military.com, January 2022.
