SPRING HOPE, N.C. (WNCN) — Two people died Wednesday in Nash County after being swept away by floodwaters.
According to Nash County 911 Dispatch, crews responded around 2:15 p.m. to a water rescue in the area of N.C. 581 and U.S. 64 Alt. near the Spring Hope city limits.
In a 6 p.m. press conference at the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Keith Stone said a man and a woman who were in a car got caught in a flooded area. Stone said the woman fell into the water and was swept away. A Spring Hope police officer who was nearby saw what happened and jumped in to try to rescue her, but was also taken by the fast-moving water. The officer, identified as Lieutenant Jason Leary, was able to be rescued.
The man who was in the car then also fell into the water and was swept away. A swift water rescue team from the Rocky Mount Fire Department was deployed, along with other first responders, but Stone said the pair was eventually found dead.
According to Stone, the two people were local to the area. The man and woman were identified Wednesday evening by the Spring Hope Police Department as 55-year-old Raymond Evans and 24-year-old Lottie Alston, both were said to be from Louisburg, North Carolina.
However, prior to the press conference, CBS 17 spoke with a man related to the two people rescuers were looking for.
Preston Evans went to the crash site Wednesday to figure out where his brother Raymond Evans and Raymond’s stepdaughter were. He confirmed with CBS 17 that the car stuck in the water was his brother’s.
“What do you mean what am I going to do next? I’m going to keep praying,” Evans said when asked by a reporter what his next step would be.
He said his brother lived in the area and was driving home. He told CBS 17 he had no clue that his brother was even missing.
“If he leave, I ain’t got but one more brother, ya know, I got all the rest of them gone,” Evans said.
He stepped into the woods to search just minutes after crews left the scene.
Later, during the press conference, the Nash County sheriff confirmed both were found dead.
“It was a tragic moment, and we did see a hero’s heart come out,” Spring Hope Mayor Kyle Pritchard said. “We saw a hero that speaks for the police force in Spring Hope.”
That hero would be Spring Hope Lt. Leary, who jumped into the water when he saw the stepdaughter fall in from the top of the car.
“I just did it,” Leary explained. “Honestly I thought that I was so close to her I thought that maybe if I got a hand on her arm, or a hand or her head above water, if there was enough for me to grab, I could’ve held onto and maybe made a difference. But unfortunately that was not what happened.”
He was swept away too, as the water was going over his head.
“By the time that I got free and got to a place I could stop, I was swept away by about 100 yards. Never saw the female and never saw the other subject enter the water. He went in the water after I was already in,” Leary explained.
Leary said he was holding onto two trees for stability while he signaled for help with a flashlight. First responders found him and pulled him out of the water.
Leary is hoping the community sees how dangerous flash flooding is.
“People do not fully appreciate how much power water has, especially when its moving,” Leary said.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein offered his condolences to the victims’ families. He also commended Lt. Leary’s rescue attempt and willingness to put his life on the line. The Nash County Sheriff’s Office said Gov. Stein also offered resources to the areas impacted by flooding, but the county said it was not needed as the waters are currently receding.