GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio — Danny Tiller is a typical 13-year-old. The Ohio boy plays football and wrestles for the 8th-grade team at Berkshire Local Schools. But earlier this month, Tiller did something not so typical for a teenager—he saved a life.

“It was a fight-or-flight kind of thing,” said Tiller.

The Tiller family vacationed in Alabama over Labor Day weekend and went swimming at the Little River Canyon National Preserve.

“It’s a pretty wide river, and the part where you jump off the rocks, it turns into a waterfall and it gets pretty deep,” he said.

Danny’s mom, Faith, watched as he and his family members jumped into the water and as a man jumped in shortly after them.

Danny and his family members successfully navigated the current and swam back to land, but Faith says she was confused to see Danny jump back into the river.

“I saw Danny jump back in and I was like, ‘Why is he jumping back in?’” she said.

But Danny jumped back in because he saw the man who had been on the cliff edge with him struggling against the river’s current.

“I saw him flail his arms and he asked for help, and I jumped in feet first,” Danny said. “I grabbed him under the shoulder and under his arm.”

It was a scary sight for his mom and dad to watch as they ran to help.

“I was watching from above and by the time Danny got to him, he was completely under the water,” said Faith.

Danny eventually got the unconscious man to the edge of the river, where his brother and cousins helped get him up.

“I noticed he wasn’t breathing, so I just started doing chest compressions on him,” he said.

While the 13-year-old wasn’t formally trained, he said he knew some general training.

“I heard you’re supposed to do it to the ‘Stayin' Alive’ song,” he said. “My mother is a nurse and she kind of says things and I just kind of picked it up from other places.”

His efforts were successful, and the man regained consciousness.

“By the time I got there, he was just starting to breathe,” said Faith.

Danny said he hasn’t talked to the man since the event, but said he just wanted to help.

“I saw him struggling and there was no one around me, so he probably wouldn’t have made it if I wasn’t there. It was a fight-or-flight kind of thing,” he said.

He proved to be a heroic and humble 13-year-old.

“I am just very proud of him,” said Faith. “I know that he has greatness in his future.”

This story was originally published by Jessi Schultz at WEWS.

A man died Sunday while saving two children from Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin.

The Racine County Sheriff's Office said deputies were called to North Beach about 3:05 p.m. for a water rescue.

Investigators said the man was unaccounted for after he went into the lake to save two boys.

"The children showed that they were in distress, and an adult male relative entered the water to save the children," the sheriff said. "The adult male assisted in the rescue of the young children; however, he did not emerge from the water."

Deputies quickly began to search for the man.

His body was pulled from the lake just after 4 p.m.

Lifesaving efforts were initiated and he was taken to Ascension All Saints Hospital.

That's where doctors pronounced him dead.

The sheriff's office said the family was visiting from Missouri.

The victim was described as a 40-year-old man.

He was identified Monday afternoon as Thomas J. Walker.

The ages of the children were not made public.

They were not injured.

"He was a kind soul and an amazing uncle to his niece and nephews. And how we lost him is a testament to how great an uncle and all-around guy he was. (We) never met a person who didn't like him. He is missed greatly," his family said in a prepared statement released by the sheriff.

The National Weather Service had issued a warning of hazardous water conditions on Lake Michigan Sunday.

It included Racine County beaches.

Life-threatening waves up to 5 feet in height and dangerous currents were possible.

"The sheriff's office commends the heroic actions of the man who assisted in saving the lives of these two young children," Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and his loved ones. We also encourage people to take the time to investigate current lake conditions before entering Lake Michigan and take all necessary precautions. This, like the other unfortunate drownings this summer, are tragic, incredibly sad, and preventable."

No other information was available.

The victim is the fourth person to drown at Racine beaches this summer.

The three other victims were children.

Watch the video above for the full story.

HILLSBORO, Ohio —

An officer with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is being remembered for his strong work ethic and passion for the job.

Jason Lagore died Tuesday night of an apparent heart attack while responding to a rescue at Rocky Point Lake in Highland County.

"He assisted on countless, countless search and rescues, bringing closure to families and also finding people and being able to help them," said LaGore's friend, Shaun Lentini.

Tuesday night, LaGore was trying to help a teenager who fell into icy water.

Around 6:30 p.m., a 13-year-old boy started screaming for help near a private dock. A nearby contractor heard his cry and called 911.

"I'm at Rocky Fork. I had some little kid come up to me and said his sister's in the water dead," the caller said. "He come running up to us saying, 'Somebody please help me, please help me.'"

The Paint Creek Joint Fire District responded to the scene.

"By the time our crews got there, she was under the ice," said Lt. Branden Jackman.

Jackman said they called in additional units from Hamilton and Franklin counties to help.

"The water was 36 degrees. Ya know, you look at water and think, 'It's just water.' A 36-degree water is no different than a three-story house fire. They'll both kill you just as quick," Jackman said.

The 16-year-old's body was recovered about four-and-a-half hours later. The coroner said she drowned. He is waiting until all of her family members are notified before he releases her name.

Sometime during the rescue-recovery mission, LaGore fell in the water after suffering a medical emergency. First responders tried to save him. He died at the hospital. The Highland County Coroner said preliminary results indicate LaGore had a heart attack.

"It affects us all. We all feel it because we're all family," Jackman said.

Lentini said LaGore had a big heart and big vision. He said LaGore began the K9 program for the division of parks and watercraft at ODNR and has since led the first K9 academy. He had worked for ODNR for the past 15 years.

"He was well respected. He did a lot of training around all of Ohio. He worked with a lot of organizations with search and rescue," Lentini said. "When he wasn't working, he loved hunting. He was a guy that I went over his house for dinner and he'd send me home with some deer."

Lentini said LaGore was a big family man. He is survived by his wife, Michelle, two small sons and his K9 partner, Sarge.

The FOP Lodge 149 has started a fundraiser for LaGore's family. More information can be found here:

https://www.unit2.org/jasonlagorek9

A Wisconsin Girl Scout is getting national attention for jumping into action to save her sister and her friends from drowning.

Isabel "Isa" Zuniga-Meyer was recognized Thursday morning during the morning flag-raising ceremony at Camp Silver Brook in West Bend.

She was presented with the Girl Scouts of the USA Lifesaving Medal of Honor.

"It's amazing to get an award, but quite honestly, it really humbles me," Isa said.

The Girl Scouts honored the 16-year-old counselor in training for rescuing her sister and three of her friends last August.

They'd found themselves on choppy waters during a trip up north.

"Suddenly their raft blew away pretty far and the gusts must have picked up and at one point, it flipped the entire thing over," Isa's mom and camp co-director Angela Zuniga-Meyer explained.

Isa said she was on the beach when she first noticed the girls struggling.

She grabbed a nearby paddleboard and got out to them as quickly as she could.

"It was just a gut instinct to do, it was a fight or flight, and I chose to fight, so I really just had to do my best to help my sister and her friends," Isa said.

She had the girls hold onto the paddleboard as they waited for a boat.

Isa and her mom credit her more than a decade in the Girl Scouts for her quick action.

"I honestly had no choice because I just felt the obligation to go and help them and once I helped them, it felt really good that they were safe," Isa said.

Out of 1.7 million Girl Scouts nationwide, only 40 received the lifesaving award this year.