After Near-Drowning, Twitter Helps Man Find His Rescuer

LINCOLN PARK, IL — A Chicago man took to Twitter in an effort to find the stranger who saved him from drowning in Lake Michigan on Memorial Day. D'Marié O'Connor, 24, posted a photo to his Twitter account on Tuesday, asking for fellow tweeters to help him track down Max, who he says saved him from drowning in the lake.

Hey Twitter This is Max, Max saved me from drowning yesterday in the Lake I don’t have Max’s twitter but Max I appreciate you (emojis) retweet until I find Max’s twitter so I can buy him a drink. pic.twitter.com/cvDUz5Jfkl
— D’marié (@DmarieOconnor) May 30, 2018

O'Connor admitted on his Twitter account that he was drunk during the Memorial Day incident at North Avenue Beach, as he was celebrating the holiday like many other Chicago people do on that day.

NBC Chicago reports O'Connor was at the lake with friends after working his shift as a certified nurse's assistant when he heard his favorite song and flipped excitedly into the 58-degree water.

According to the news report, O'Connor said he knows how to swim and is CPR certified, but didn't realize a ladder people used to get out of the water was way down from where he jumped. O'Connor said his friends weren't paying attention as he was trying to use a barrier wall high above the water to get out, but kept slipping back into the lake after each attempt.

O'Connor screamed for help before going under water, when he said Max leaned over the edge, grabbed his hand and pulled him from the water, NBC reports.

After nearly drowning, O'Connor took a photo with his rescuer and got his first name. Later, he shared the photo on Twitter asking for help reconnecting with the man he knew only as "Max."

The Twitter community retweeted the post thousands of time, using the #FindMax hashtag. A friend finally connected O'Connor with Max.

O'Connor tweeted an announcement Thursday morning, saying he was able to find Max, whose full name is Max Canfield. O'Connor also said he and Max will be getting brunch together in the next couple weeks, so he can buy his rescuer that thank you drink (or two).

Image via Shutterstock