Officer who saved father, daughter from drowning recalls heroic act

Norristown, Pa -- An officer sprang into action after a truck plunged into the Schuylkill River in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The incident took place on Labor Day of 2023 at Riverfront Park.
Norristown Officer Matthew Walsh witnessed the truck accelerate into the river and called for backup. "I yelled to her, 'can you swim' and she said 'no,'" says Walsh.

The young girl was in the bed of the sinking truck about 50 to 60 feet from the boat ramp in the middle of the river.

Norristown Officer Edward Butterworth began taking off his gear and ran into the water to save the 12-year-old girl and her father.

As the girl was slowly sinking, Butterworth put his police training and swimming ability to the test.

"When I got out there I only see one individual, I don't see her dad" Butterworth recalls, "she was on top of him I guess pushing him down so she could breathe."

Butterworth says he focused on calming down the girl and keeping their heads above water. "I was exhausted and out of steam. If I go under I don't think I was going to come back up again, to be honest."

Despite the physical strain, Butterworth was determined to save the father-daughter duo.

He was successful, saving both within six minutes and with no injuries.

Despite the community praise Officer Butterworth remains humble noting, "I'm just glad that her dad gets to tuck her in at night and it wasn't a tragedy, that was the best thing."

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