Air Guard sergeant saves 2 people from car sinking in Fresno canal

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A senior master sergeant with the 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno helped rescue two people from a canal Wednesday.

Jeff Ginther says he was coming out of the parking lot near McKinley and Chestnut in East Central Fresno when he saw a big plume of dust and a splash. Police say a car was trying to avoid a bicyclist when it crashed into the canal.

While other people grabbed their cell phones to start recording the incident, Ginther didn't think twice. Still in uniform, he jumped into the canal to help save the two people inside the car.

"The driver actually came out and because of his panic took them both under," said Ginther. "So I grabbed them both and being of large size I was able to bounce off the bottom and so I could feel the rocks and I started working our way back from where I came and realized the current was much stronger than I thought it was. Turned us around and then we started to bounce our way back to shore."

Both the driver and passenger are expected to be okay. A tow truck later pulled the car from the canal.