Montana teen throws lasso to man in Yellowstone River in split-second rescue

A 14-year-old Montana rancher lassoed a drowning man from the Yellowstone River after a rafting accident, using cowboy skills he recently learned.

“First instinct I thought was try and rope him and drag him out before he gets too far down the river,” Jory Thomas said. “Luckily, I caught him first try.”

Prior to the rescue, the 14-year-old had spent months practicing with his lasso on the family ranch

A family camping trip in Montana turned into a dramatic rescue when 14-year-old Jory Thomas used his rodeo lasso skills to save a man from the fast-moving Yellowstone River. After a raft and paddleboard crashed into a bridge pillar, one person was swept downstream. Jory roped the man on his first attempt and pulled him