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A veteran Detroit firefighter was found dead on Saturday after diving into a river to save three young girls from drowning, authorities said.
Rescue teams began searching the Detroit River on Friday night after the 10-year-old daughter of Sgt. Sivad Johnson of the city fire department reported his father was missing after diving into the river to save young girls from drowning, Deputy Fire Marshal Dave Fornell told NBC News on Saturday.
Johnson, 48, from Detroit, had been a firefighter for more than two decades. He was a second generation firefighter, as his father and brother also held this position.
Divers from the Detroit Fire Department and Police Department recovered Johnson’s body from the river, Michigan State Police tweeted.
He was found on Saturday afternoon and pronounced dead in hospital shortly after, Fornell said.
State soldiers and agents from the State Department of Natural Resources responded to the scene after Michigan State Police said they received a call around 9 p.m. Friday evening. Upon investigation, officials discovered Johnson jumped into the water alongside several other people to save three girls from drowning. He was not in service at the time.
The girls were rescued and brought home to safety, but Johnson’s daughter never saw her father return from the river. Johnson is believed to have been dragged underwater by a rip current, according to NBC affiliate WDIV in Detroit.
In 2017, Johnson received the Medal of Valor from the Detroit Fire Department, Fornell told the Detroit News.
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