Jordan North has detailed the heart stopping rescue mission he launched to save a dog that was drowning in the River Thames.
The 34-year-old presenter was out for a run when he stumbled across a commotion and a woman in distress who revealed that her dog had fallen into the river. The River Thames, with its strong undercurrents, is a dangerous stretch of water and Jordan watched on in horror as he saw the dog struggling.
But together with the help of another member of the public, the former BBC Radio 1 star was able to reach the dog and pull it to safety – only for the two of them to then end up stranded on a floating platform. Realising he was stuck, the Global Radio host asked a watching crowd to call for help – leading to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to be sent out to help him.
On Tuesday, Jordan gave a blow by blow account of the dramatic rescue – and heaped praise on the RNLI for their fearless work. Telling all on his Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby show, he recalled: “I go for a run, and I run in London, just past where Fulham play football, so right on River Thames. And there’s this woman who’s looking a bit distressed, okay.
“And then there’s loads of people, like, looking over the edge of the river where it is, and there’s a dog struggling in the water. So there’s like, and it’s really low down, and there’s this dog that’s like, basically drowning. And I took me headphones out. I was like ‘What’s going on here?’ and they’re like, ‘It’s a dog down there, struggling’… So I’m trying to grab the dog at the end of the jetty but it’s shut and it’s like a 6ft gate, there’s a lad trying to climb over and he’s going, ‘My knee, my knee!’ My knees not that bad, so I climb over. I go down to the jetties, it’s pitch black, and the dogs in the water… The dog is struggling.”
Co-host Sian noted: “There’s undercurrents aren’t there,” and Jordan continued with his dramatic story. He went on, saying: “So I’m trying to grab the dog at the end of the jetty, I’ve got my phone flashing. I’m going, ‘Here boy, here boy, here boy, come on, here boy.’ And he’s trying to get to me, this dog, right? And every time I can just about grab him, the currents, taking him. I’m going, I can’t go in. Cannot go in.” Sian then highlighted again: “It’s so dangerous.”
Jordan continued: “So I walk across this buoy, and I manage to grab the dog, okay? And I’m get him up and pull him up by the collar, and then he’s struggling, and then he falls back in. So I get him… So I’ve got him, and perfect. Then I’ve got him, and the dog’s panting and crying, and I’ve managed to pull him up.”
Sian then asked what kind of dog was in the water, and Jordan continued: “A Labrador. And I can’t, the dog’s legs have gone, so he can’t get up, because he’s so tired, so tired, he’s been fighting this current for about 10 minutes. He’s panting, and I’m kind of going, ‘It’s all right, it’s all right.’ So then we can’t get off this thing that I’m floating on in the middle of the Thames…. My legs going dead, and everybody’s watching from the side.”
The heroics attracted a large crowd, and Jordan went on to reveal the helped him in the darkness. He recalled: “And there’s a dog on me, and I’m worried that my legs are dead and I fall in. So I went, ‘Can you call the Coast Guard please?’ And so they were like, ‘Yeah, yeah, fine.’ So they called the Coast Guard, and then the Coast Guard couldn’t find us. So everybody, it was a beautiful sight. They all put their lights on their phones… The torch was on, yeah. So it was like a Coldplay gig.”
Chris asked: “So you’re waiting there until the RNLI?” And Jordan went on: “Yeah but they couldn’t get out to the bit that I’m floating on so they send on another smaller boat, but the dogs scared because he’s worried about going in. So I’m trying to push, push the dog in, finally, get the dog in the little boat. Then I’m stuck, so I’ve got to, like, balance and get back on the big boat, if this is making any sense at all.”
Recounting a humorous end to the story, Jordan said: “And I get on, and the woman goes, ‘Oh, my God, oh my god!’ I’m like, ‘What? What? What is it unsafe? What?’ She was like, ‘Oh my god I listen to your podcast all the time!'”
Heaping praise on his rescuers, the radio star said: “A big thank you and a massive shout out to RNLI Chiswick who came and rescued me because I was getting a bit panicky. I was getting a bit nervy as well because I thought my legs are going to go, I can’t hold on much longer so they got there just in time. The real heroes here are the RNLI who came out and got me, put a blanket round me. They’re the heroes.”
Listen to Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby weekdays from 6am – 10am across the UK and on Global Player.
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