PALATKA, Fla. – A man who jumped into the St. Johns River to rescue men who had fallen into the water said he was only doing what came naturally to him.
“I just saw someone that needed help and wanted to help,” he told News4JAX on Tuesday.
Matthew Clements sprang into action on Monday night to help a group of five to six men who were shrimping when they fell into the river while trying to retrieve some items that had fallen in the water.
He credited his upbringing for his helping nature.
Clements’ girlfriend noticed several of the men were drowning, so while others called 911, Clements decided to lend a helping hand.
“I jumped in the water and proceeded to rescue the guy I could when I jumped in. Another guy named Henry jumped in the water to grab a guy, and we got two of them out. And by the time we went to go back out and get more, there wasn’t nobody else swimming,” he said.
The Palatka Police Department responded to the call for a possible drowning and initiated a search and recovery operation for the men whom Clements and others weren’t able to rescue.
The bodies of 20-year-old Wilbert Rivera Cifuentes and 21-year-old Deyfri Roblero Morales were found on Tuesday morning.
Clements expressed his condolences.
“They had a full life to live ahead of them, and it’s very unfortunate,” he said.
