By Lee Ann Krueger, West10 Media/MVP
Friday afternoon of last week was a planned evening of after school fun for 13-year-old Jack Phelps, who was riding his bike through the Sungate Neighborhood on his way to a sleepover at a friend’s house.
While biking along, Phelps was stopped by a woman asking if he had seen a missing two-year-old. After stating he had not, Phelps proceeded further along his route through the neighborhood, which led him by the neighborhood’s pond. Glancing over towards the pond, Phelps spotted a small child in the pond, with the water reaching the child’s chin. Without hesitation, (he didn’t even stop to take his phone out of his pocket), Phelps jumped from his bike and ran into the pond to rescue the child. Coming out of the pond, wet and muddy, his first thought was to call his dad, Jon. His parents immediately jumped into the car and sped to his location, his mom calling the police en route.
We asked this young man what prompted him to jump into action. Phelps stated that his initial thought upon seeing the child was, “I have to get him out of the water! Afterwards, I was nervous and scared. The child was crying, so I had to try and calm him down.”
The grandmother of the two-year-old arrived on the scene to console and take the child, while the Bartlett Police called Phelps a Hero.
Jack Phelps, a 7th grader at Elmore Park Middle School, is the son of Jon and Amanda Phelps, who are very proud of their son and his actions. We are, too. If you see Phelps, shake his hand and thank this young hero for his life-saving actions.
