A 51-year-old Yuma man is being hailed as a hero after he drowned while rescuing two boys from the swift current of the Colorado River near Hidden Shores Resort on Saturday, according to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said they received a report of a possible drowning at about 12:13 p.m. in the waterway near Horseshoe Island sandbar. According to the sheriff’s office, a group was gathered at the sandbar when two young boys were swept off the shallows by the current.
A man, later identified as Jeffrey Brady, swam out to the boys and managed to keep them above water until a nearby boat arrived and pulled the children to safety. Witnesses reported that Brady was struggling to stay afloat and was seen going underwater, failing to resurface.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene and dive teams from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, Border Patrol, and Yuma Police Department assisted in the search. Brady was located at 7:20 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene.
Brady’s family and friends are mourning his loss and celebrating his final act of bravery.
He had purchased a new home to provide a safe and peaceful space for his loved ones, including his girlfriend, Elen, and his 84-year-old blind father. Elen had left her job in San Diego to care for Brady’s father full-time, according to the fundraiser which has collected over $90,000 to support funeral and living expenses for those affected by his loss.
The two boys Brady rescued were his girlfriend’s nephews, ages 10 and 12. The GoFundMe campaign states, “Jeff didn’t hesitate, he saw children in danger and acted without a second thought. That’s just who he was…. a protector, a provider, and a selfless hero.”
The campaign also noted the financial and emotional hardship now faced by Brady’s twin brother, Greg, who must support two households and cover funeral expenses.
Ripley added, “It’s not shocking or surprising at all that he was the one that went in after them and saved them.”
The river outing was a regular summer tradition for Brady and his loved ones. “They did it almost every weekend during the summer,” Ripley said. But this weekend, the river’s current proved especially strong. “The boys, they know how to swim and everything, so it’s just the current at the river this weekend happened to be pretty strong, and it swept the little one out, and then it just snowballed from there,” Needham said.
After the boys and others were pulled to safety by a passing boat, Brady was nowhere to be seen. “Greg turned around, and Jeff was gone,” Needham said.
“She’s just heartbroken and misses him,” Ripley said of Elen. “She wants the one more hug, the one more walk through the door, the one more everything that she’s not gonna get anymore.”
