MOORHEAD (KFGO) – David Vander Ark of Moorhead rarely misses an early morning walk with his dog, Max. Last week, he was a bit behind schedule when he heard someone screaming for help from the Red River.
The rumble of a train created a momentary distraction, but then he spotted a Fargo man in the water, clinging to the ice.
“As soon as the train passed, I could really hear somebody yell for help,” Vander Ark said. “Right then is when I ran across the road towards Main Avenue and started dialing 911. While I was on the phone with dispatch, I was communicating back and forth with the guy.”
Vander Ark said the response from Moorhead Police and Fire was swift.
“By the time I got to the bridge that he was under, I saw a police officer,” Vander Ark said. “We pretty much met at the river bank.”
Vander Ark found a long piece of driftwood along the riverbank. He and patrol officer Tyler Johnson were able to use the stick to pull the man to safety.
The man told paramedics that someone told him to jump into the river.
The rescue brought back a lot of memories for Vander Ark. In 1986, his grandfather used a rope to pull a 14-year-old girl from the Red River after she broke through the ice on a snowmobile.
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