WATCH: Good Samaritan Rescues Senior Citizen Who Fell Off Fishing Boat

A good Samaritan helped rescue a senior citizen who fell overboard a fishing boat in Camden County, near the Florida/Georgia line. 

The incident occurred on March 13, when a man in his late 70s fell into the water while trying to raise an anchor near St. Mary’s Entrance Channel in the Cumberland Sound, Action News Jax reported. Soon after he fell in the chilly waters, local fisherman Hunter Howell received the distress call.

“I got a call from my buddy saying his fishing partner fell overboard, trying to pull the anchor,” Howell told the outlet. 

Howell was just 12 minutes away and hustled to the scene to assist the man, later identified as Mr. Seymour, the report states.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office released a video showing Seymour fighting to cling to the anchor line and struggling to stay afloat.

“When I got there, all I saw was Mr. Seymour hanging on to the boat like this,” Howell said, noting that he “feared the worst” when he noticed how low Seymour’s body temperature was after floating in the 64-degree water for almost an hour. 

Howell said he was able to pry Seymour’s hands off the rope and “that’s when Nassau County got his boat in close enough for me to transfer him over.”

Authorities reported that Seymour showed signs of hypothermia and was severely exhausted. Seymour was thankfully wearing a life vest, which assisted in his rescue.

Howell said Seymour will recover. When asked by a reporter what he was about to go do, he said with a smile, “We’re finna go back fishing.”