26-year-old dad dies after saving stranger from drowning in river: ‘He was a hero’

A heroic father has tragically died after jumping in a river to save a stranger from drowning.

Jacob Farley (26) from Kansas, US, jumped in the Elk River after spotting a woman, identified as Madison Capps, being swept underwater near the river’s dam on Friday 21 June, People reports.

When the Noel Fire Department arrived on the scene they managed to save the woman, but Jacob unfortunately drowned.

Madison told The Miami County Republic that both she and Jacob tried to stay afloat for 30 minutes before the rescue team reached them, Daily Mail reports.

“I felt his hand on my back as I tried to get on my floatie after going under,” she told Daily Mail.

“Just having him be there next to me meant a lot. Without him there, I don’t think I would have been able to hold on as long as I did.”

“I will never forget the sacrifice you made,” Capps wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “May your soul rest in peace.”

The young dad’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral costs.

“He didn’t think twice about jumping in to save a complete stranger,” the GoFundMe stated.

“He is a true hero and died saving someone else’s life with no regard for his own.”

“Jacob was selfless and brave, and he lived his life the same way he lost it – helping others.”

Sources: People, Daily Mail, GoFundMe, KMOV4