Fire Captain's Disc Toss Saves Man From Flooded San Diego River

SAN DIEGO, CA — A Frisbee-like disc helped save a man from the flooded San Diego River.

Rescuers were able to pull the man out of the swiftly moving water Monday after a firefighter threw the disc from Friars Road under Interstate 5, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The department praised Capt. Boyd's "solid throw" in a post of the video on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"One of dozens of rescues SDFD firefighters and lifeguards performed today," the department wrote. "This man was saved by Capt. Boyd's solid throw of the save-a-life disc from Friars Road under I-5."

The save-a-life disc, also known as a ResQ Disc, is a Frisbee-shaped disc used to save people trapped in swift or deep waters, ice-covered lakes and ponds, or other dangerous situations where the rescuer can stay ashore or aboard while performing the rescue.

The rescue was one of many San Diego firefighters and lifeguards performed Monday after heavy rain caused widespread flooding across the region.

Crews with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department rescued more than 50 people from the San Diego and Tijuana rivers, along with vehicle rescues in San Diego neighborhoods, according to Mónica Muñoz, spokesperson for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Additionally, crews used inflatable boats and rescue boards to help rescue hundreds of people escape flooded homes on Beta Street and surrounding streets in the Southcrest neighborhood, Muñoz said.

"Some people were on their roofs to avoid the water," she noted.

There were no fatalities.