FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen is being hailed as a hero after springing into action during a live broadcast Friday, rescuing a woman trapped in her car amid rising floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Helene. The storm, which has been wreaking havoc across the Southeast, caused flash floods that left many residents stranded, including one woman whose situation caught Van Dillen’s immediate attention.
Van Dillen joined Fox & Friends to recount the dramatic rescue, explaining why he couldn’t sit by and wait for first responders when he saw the woman in danger. “I know that we’re swamped here with all of the 911 calls… you could hear through my live shot, real loud,” Van Dillen said, referring to the screams of the woman trapped in her submerged vehicle.
As the water rose around her car, nearly engulfing it, Van Dillen realized time was running out. “That’s her car right there,” he said, pointing to the nearly submerged vehicle in the background of the live shot. “I just said, ‘You know what? I realize I’m with you guys on the air, but I can’t let it go.’”
Meanwhile in Atlanta a reporter put down his microphone and went to help a lady that was trapped in her car. Second video is said reporter carrying a woman and possibly a small child: pic.twitter.com/mteTe1bOD1
— Colette Murphy (@Iammurphycolet) September 27, 2024
Without hesitation, Van Dillen jumped into action, disregarding the live broadcast and his own safety. “I took my wallet out of my pants, and I went in there, waded in, got chest deep,” he explained. FOX colleague Janice Dean urged him not to downplay his heroics, but Van Dillen remained humble as he described the moment.
He noted that while he was concerned about swift currents, the real threat was the cold water. “The water temperature is probably about 80 [degrees],” Van Dillen said. “The water came up to about my chest.” When he reached the car, the woman was still strapped in, nearly neck-deep in water. Her situation was dire.
Dean cut to the chase, stating the obvious: “She would have drowned.”
Van Dillen, however, downplayed the severity, saying, “I don’t know.” But it was clear from his actions that he saved her life. He calmly instructed the woman to undo her seatbelt, took her phone and belongings, and then carried her to safety. “She was in shock, cold and shivering,” Van Dillen said. He offered her his shirt to keep warm until first responders arrived.
Twenty minutes later, the fire department showed up but quickly moved on, as Van Dillen had already handled the situation. The woman’s husband soon arrived to pick her up, ending a tense and emotional ordeal.
“It was a good deed for the day,” Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy said, praising Van Dillen’s swift response.
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida on Thursday night, has unleashed devastating impacts across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. While the storm’s winds have subsided as it moves inland, torrential rains continue to cause life-threatening flash floods. Communities from Georgia to the mid-Atlantic are under Flash Flood Emergencies, with Atlanta seeing its first-ever such alert early Friday morning.
WATCH – Fox Weather reporter stops a live report to rescue a woman trapped by flooding during Hurricane Helene
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 27, 2024
Van Dillen’s bravery highlights not only the dedication of those reporting on the storm but also the very real dangers that everyday people are facing as Helene’s floodwaters rise. His quick thinking and selfless action may have very well saved a life.
