Michael Haney, a 58-year-old former pilot, has made it a habit to take frequent walks around Tempe Town Lake in Arizona.
But last Monday, March 13, Haney's regular walk took a shocking turn.
"All of a sudden, I heard some loud screaming, which stood out because I had my earbuds on and I was listening to music," he said.
As he was walking, Haney's attention was captured by the screams, which led him to the middle of the usually peaceful lake.
There, he spotted a young man, the source of the screams, barely struggling to keep his head above water.
His hands were flailing in the air as he continued to scream for help.
"The first few moments were horrifying because it was a sincere call for help," Haney said.
Haney leapt into action, guiding the man back to shore with encouraging, inspiring words.
"'Help is on the way. I'm here.' And he seemed to stop struggling at that moment," he said.
The words began to work. The young man edged closer to the shoreline.
But when he went to lift the man out of the water, Haney fell in with him.
Luckily, they both were able to make it out and neither were harmed, outside of the damage that came to their wet clothes.
Haney lost a few precious belongings when he fell into the lake, but explained he'd make the same decision again if it meant helping to save someone.
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