Man Who Rescued Toddler From The Bay After Car Crash Speaks Out

OCEAN CITY, MD — A terrifying multi-car crash unfolded on the Route 90 bridge in Ocean City May 2, launching a 2-year-old girl still strapped into her car seat into the Assawoman Bay. The truck she was riding in ended up positioned on top of the guardrail. But a good Samaritan leaped over the guardrail and into the bay to rescue her.

Initially, the hero chose to remain anonymous but has since come forward. Jonathan Bauer spoke with NBC Washington about what happened during that five-car pileup on the bridge. Bauer was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter, Ava, and their vehicle was one of the five involved in the crash.

He checked on his daughter to make sure she was OK, then glanced around. He spied the truck precariously positioned on the edge of the bridge and the little girl in the water 25 feet below.

“She was on her back. Completely floating, head out of the water. Arms moving, legs kicking, in a little pink dress,” Bauer told NBC Washington.

But then in a second, the little girl's car seat flipped and she was face down in the water.

“I looked at my daughter and said, ‘Grab the first firefighter or police officer you see,’ and then I pushed off,” he said.

Bauer jumped into the chilly water below and swam to the little girl.

“Her mouth was open, her eyes were semi-open, and then I put her against my shoulder, very high, and then aggressively patted her on the back. And within seconds, she spit up a bunch of water, a lot of water,” Bauer said.

Thankfully, she began to cough and took a deep breath. While clutching the little girl, the Oertel family pulled up alongside Bauer in their pontoon boat. They had been boating and watched the incident unfold, Patch reported.

Fourteen-year-old Alayna Oertel was driving the family's boat in the bay when she saw the truck teetering atop the bridge guardrail.

"My first instinct was to go look and see if there were people there. So, I told my dad to take over and I pulled out the life vests," Oertel told WUSA9.

"I'm really surprised that he was not injured," Joe Oertel told WUSA9.

The toddler was flown to Johns Hopkins Children's Center hospital in Baltimore for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery. Bauer has since been honored with a plaque from Ocean City Mayor Richard W. Meehan, who called Bauer a "humble hero."