Brave! Heroic man, 24, drowns while trying to save his girlfriend's son (photos)

Brave! Heroic man, 24, drowns while trying to save his girlfriend's son (photos)

- 24-year-old Joshua Traylor drowned while heroically trying to save his girlfriend's son who had fallen into a river

- He could not swim but jumped in anyway

- A nearby fisherman saved the young boy but Traylor tragically did not surface

A 24-year-old man in Michigan, US died while heroically trying to save his girlfriend's three-year-old son who had fallen into the Clinton River on Sunday, April 9.

Traylor (left) was with his girlfriend (right) when the tragic incident occurred

Traylor was feeding ducks with his girlfriend and her young son on a boardwalk along the river when the boy accidentally fell in. Despite being unable to swim, Traylor did not hesitate to jump into the river.

A nearby fisherman reportedly saved the young boy. However, Traylor tragically did not surface, and efforts by his girlfriend, who jumped into the water in an attempt to find him, were unsuccessful.

READ ALSO: Diezani Alison-Madueke allegedly seen walking through the streets of London

Traylor pictured with the boy he tried to save

Emergency rescuers were called in but it was only 45 minutes later that they were able to retrieve Traylor's body. A local rescue team chief, Mark Hoskin, said: "We were able to locate the body using our underwater camera and a diver went in and was able to locate him and bring him to shore."

READ ALSO: President Mugabe's new hairdo creates commotion on social media (photos, video)

Traylor's girlfriend, who remains unnamed, shared a heartbreaking message on social media paying tribute to Traylor: "I love you so much baby... you saved our baby I know you loved him like he was your own. You saved him he is still here on this earth because of you. You're truly my hero, I can't take this, it is not fair."

Rescuers found Traylor's body 45 minutes later

Here is a similar story of a man bravely saving two boys from drowning.