A local fisherman was in the right place at the right time to help rescue an 8-year-old boy who fell into the Rock River downtown.
Janesville Police say the boy fell into the river from the ARISE Town Square pier just after 2:00 Sunday afternoon.
Police say the boy grabbed a rope an officer threw him from the parking lot of RiversEdge Bowl. The officer pulled the boy to the edge of the river wall embankment and held him there, but he was not able to lift the boy out of the river because of the steep embankment.
Another officer who arrived at the scene had seen a man in a fishing boat with an outboard motor downstream from the boy near the Racine Street bridge.
The fisherman drove his boat over to the boy and pulled him out of the water. From there police were able to pull him up onto the bank.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released.
