Utah ranger who jumped into Provo River to save woman says he 'wasn't going to let her go under'

PROVO — Most people come to the Provo River to float, relax, and enjoy a summer day.

Ranger Wyatt Manis is often there for something else.

"Checking to make sure people have life jackets," said Manis, a ranger with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Law Enforcement.

He's the kind of person who quietly watches, listens and stands ready for when, and if, something goes wrong.

And a few weekends ago, something did.

Tiffinie Wolf, who lives in South Jordan, was paddleboarding on the river when her foot became trapped under a trestle bridge. Despite wearing a life vest, she couldn't free herself from the fast-moving current.

"I knew time was of the essence in that moment, and so I knew something had to be done," Manis said.

Manis, who was patrolling the area, immediately answered the call for help. He ran to the water, took off his vest and got into the cold water.

His body camera on his vest captured the moment he called out to a bystander to grab his radio and call for help.

Manis stayed in the water, holding Wolf's head above the surface.

"I remember in my head thinking, I don't have time to feel cold right now. I've just got to keep her above water," he said.

Conservation officer Aidan Hueton arrived shortly afterward.

"And once I got here, I kind of just conveyed what I was seeing to dispatch as well as advising search and rescue ... what was going on," Hueton said.

Manis held Wolf for nearly 30 minutes until Wasatch County search and rescue crews arrived and were able to get her out.

Tuesday, Wolf returned to the bridge, but this time to say thank you to Manis and the team who rescued her.

"I really do admire a lot of the selflessness that goes into that line of work," she said. "I'm thankful he was there, and I'm thankful there are those who help others."

Manis, who typically prefers to stay out of the spotlight, said it's moments like this one that remind him why he chose this career.

"I'm grateful that we had a successful outcome that day," he said. "There's been too many other times in my career where it hasn't been successful, and we're dealing with the opposite of this, or a tragedy. So we try to be prepared and help out as much as we can."

Related topics