Montana Teen’s Roping Skills Help Save a Man Swept Down the Yellowstone River
A Montana teenager’s dedication to roping cattle became an unexpected lifesaving gift during a Fourth of July weekend gathering along the Yellowstone River.
Fourteen-year-old Jory Thomas was visiting his grandparents near Greycliff in Sweet Grass County when cries for help suddenly came from the water. Four people using a raft and paddleboard had collided with a bridge pier and fallen into the river.
Three reached the riverbank safely, but the fourth person remained trapped in the swift current, holding tightly to a cooler as he drifted downstream.
Jory quickly emptied his pockets, grabbed his lariat and walked into the river until the water reached his chest. Drawing on the skills he had practiced so enthusiastically, he prepared to bring the man to safety.
“I actually started really getting into roping this year. I went to brandings and started roping cattle then, and I started getting better,” Thomas told KTVQ News 2. “Every afternoon when it cools off, I go out and rope the roping dummy.”
After persuading the man to release the cooler, Jory cast his rope. On his first attempt, the lasso caught the man around his arm and neck. A nearby adult then hurried over to help Jory pull him safely to shore.
Jory’s father, an experienced volunteer firefighter, had called 911 immediately after hearing the screams. Sheriff’s records indicated that a deputy arrived only three minutes later, but Jory’s swift response had already brought the emergency to a fortunate conclusion.
Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg praised the teenager’s decisive actions.
“My opinion, Jory saved the individual’s life, 100%,” Ronneberg told Cowboy State Daily. “Had Jory not acted, I believe the chances of this individual not making it to shore were very slim.”
The rescue was especially urgent because that stretch of the Yellowstone River leads toward rapids, logjams and other serious hazards. Jory’s courage and practiced skill prevented the man from being carried into even greater danger.
“I felt pretty good afterwards that I knew he was okay and was out of the water,” Jory said.
His grandmother, Sandy Thomas, recalled the moment her grandson returned after the rescue.
“He comes up, and he said, ‘I think I just saved a life,’” Sandy told KTVQ.
“And we all said, ‘Yeah, you did.’”
What began as a teenager’s growing passion for ranching became a remarkable act of kindness and bravery. By staying calm and using the talent he had worked hard to develop, Jory turned an ordinary family weekend into a joyful story of a life saved.
