An off duty veteran firefighter in Detroit was found dead on Saturday after he dived into a river to save three young girls from drowning, according to authorities.
On Friday, August 21st, Sgt. Sivad Johnson, 48, a veteran firefighter who was off duty and with his 10-year-old daughter. Johnson jumped into the Detroit River near Belle Isle after three young girls signaled they were having trouble swimming, according to Deputy Fire Commissioner Dave Fornell.
Fornell explained that another person jumped into the river with Johnson and was able to rescue one girl, and a boat in the area was able to rescue the other two, he said.point 277 |
Once everyone was out of the water, Johnson’s daughter noticed her father was not around and called the police to let them know he was still in the water.point 132 | point 132 | 1
Police and fire officials searched for Johnson’s body until 3 a.m. ET Saturday and later resumed the search using sonar equipment. His body was recovered in the afternoon and pronounced dead at the hospital shortly afterward, Fornell said.
Johnson is a Detroit native. He had been with the fire department for more than two decades. He was a second-generation firefighter, as his father as well as his brother also served in that role.
State police said they will not be providing further updates regarding the incident.