‘It’s a sense of relief’: North Carolina officer describes heroic water rescue of two kids

<i>WXII via CNN Newsource</i><br/>Around 5:15 p.m. on April 6

Published April 9, 2025 9:50 AM

By Kelly Kendall

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — It’s not the kind of call Winston-Salem patrol officer Michael Smith gets every day.

“The caller reported that there were several children that had fallen into a creek and had been swept down the creek quite a ways,” he said.

However, he knew how urgent the situation was.

“Your adrenaline starts rolling,” he said. “You’re concerned because you know the response time is crucial to make sure they get out of that creek safely.”

Around 5:15 p.m. Monday, the Winston-Salem Police Department received a call that two tweens had fallen into Salem Creek near South Main Street in Winston-Salem and were being pulled downstream.

Smith was one of about a dozen officers who arrived at the pedestrian bridge where the kids had been swept under. They waded through thick vegetation and found the two tweens clinging to a rock in the water.

“They were quite scared because of the water, and they had been down the creek a little ways,” he said. “But when they saw us, they were concerned about us getting wet trying to get them and the amount of water that was between us and them, but we told them that everything was going to be OK now that we would help them.”

Working together, the officers were able to get the kids out of the water and back to safety to dry off. Fortunately, neither child was injured.

“It might seem like a slow-moving body of water, but after rainfall, the current can get quite strong,” Smith said.

He says the kids, their parents and the officers were all relieved that there had been a positive outcome. He says that the outcome was made possible by the concerned citizen who called 911 and the teamwork of the officers.

“It could have ended very poorly for those kids,” he said. “It’s a good story. It shows the coordination we have with the community.”

Smith says not every situation turns out this well. He recommends that parents talk with their kids about the dangers of being in or near bodies of water.

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