Police laud Jon Bon Jovi for talking woman down from ledge



Surveillance footage taken Tuesday evening on Nashville's John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge shows a woman in a blue shirt on the wrong side of the railing, looking down at what could have been a deadly plunge into the Cumberland River.

Whereas some pedestrians walked past the distressed woman without showing any signs of slowing, rock star Jon Bon Jovi made his way over to talk her off the ledge.

According to the Tennessean, Bon Jovi was filming a music video on the bridge for his song "The People House."

The musician can be seen walking up to the distressed woman in the company of a production assistant while the rest of his crew keep their distance. Bon Jovi engages the distressed woman while his female production assistant makes physical contact, placing a reassuring hand on her back.

'It takes all of us to help keep each other safe.'

Soon, Bon Jovi and the production assistant can be seen gripping the woman, then helping her over the railing and onto the right side of the pedestrian bridge. As the video crew begins closing the distance, Bon Jovi hugs the woman in blue.

The Metro Nashville Police Department noted on X, "A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge Tue night. Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety.

MNPD Chief John Drake stated, "It takes all of us to help keep each other safe."

The Tennessean indicated that Bon Jovi has declined to speak in detail about the incident out of respect for the privacy of the woman. A source told the New York Post, however, that the musician did what anybody in that situation would have done: lend a helping hand.

The bridge where the incident took place was named after John Siegenthaler, a journalist who once saved a suicidal man's life on the same span.

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Hero fishermen save 38 dogs on the verge of drowning in Mississippi lake



A group of fishermen in Mississippi are being hailed as heroes after saving 38 dogs on the verge of drowning in a lake.

Three fishermen were on a fishing trip in Lake Grenada. Bob Gist – a 61-year-old from Arkansas – went fishing with his friend Brad Carlisle from Tennessee.

Suddenly, the men heard more than three dozen dogs barking.

Gist told Fox News, "Pretty soon we saw some dogs on the horizon in the water."

Fishing guide, Jordan Chrestman, noticed that the dogs were in the water after chasing a deer into the lake.

Gist later learned that the dogs were part of an annual fox run that takes place in the area.

Gist stated, "We went on fishing for about 10 or 15 more minutes, and Jordan [Chrestman] said, 'Hey guys, if you don't mind, we really need to go check on those dogs because they're way out there in that water.'"

The boat navigated Lake Grenada to get close enough to the dogs.

"We're just flabbergasted because it’s dogs everywhere," Gist explained. "They’re all going in different directions because they can no longer see the bank on either side."

Gist added, "They were on the verge of drowning because now they have been treading water for an hour."

The fishermen loaded 27 dogs into the boat and took them to shore. Then they went back and rescued 11 more for a total of 38 dogs rescued.

He noted, "We got back over to the ramp with that last bunch of dogs… [and] we were having to drag them out of the boat because they didn't want to get out of our boat. They were scared they were going back to the water. It was terrible."

Gist continued, "When we first started there was this white one that Brad tried to reach for and the dog bit at him. He moved closer to me, so I tried to reach for him, and he tried to bite me, so we left him. When we came back for the second load it was probably 30-45 minutes later. By that time, he was ready to get in the boat. He wasn’t biting anybody."

Gist pointed out that Chrestman was the true hero of the dog rescue.

"If Brad and I had been there in a boat by ourselves, we wouldn't have known anything was wrong, but that 20-something-year-old kid – I'm 61, so I'm calling him a kid – he knew something needed to be done," Gist said.

The dog owners were reportedly thankful for the fishermen saving their dogs from drowning in the lake. The dog owners offered money to Chrestman as a reward for saving the dogs, but he allegedly refused to accept the money.

Gist posted a photo of the 27 dogs riding in his boat on his Facebook page.

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South Bend cop who helped an abandoned baby meets him 23 years later — all grown up and in a familiar uniform



A baby boy was discarded in the hallway of an apartment complex in South Bend, Indiana, just days before Christmas 2000. Gene Eyster, one of the police officers who dealt with the case and did his part to provide the boy with some comfort while in the hospital, long wondered about the child's fate.

A few weeks ago, the now-retired police lieutenant was not only provided with an update but with an outstretched hand. The boy he had helped, now a man, had done more than survive. He thrived.

South Bend Police Department

'Baby Boy Doe'

The South Bend Tribune reported on Dec. 23, 2000, that a newborn baby had been discovered in the hallway of a Park Jefferson apartment building after midnight. A nearby resident, Christian Rowe, heard the child crying.

"I looked down the hallway and saw a box sitting there," said Rowe.

Rowe indicated he and his friend found a newborn shivering inside a small box, wearing a sleeping outfit and wrapped in blue-green blankets.

"I didn't know what to think," said Rowe. "We brought it inside the apartment to keep it warm."

Rowe and his friend called police, who rushed to the scene with an ambulance in tow.

"It's a heartbreaker for us," said then-Sgt. Ian McQueen of the SBPD's Major Crimes Unit.

According to the SBPD, responding officers roped then-Sgt. Gene Eyster into the investigation, who immediately began seeking answers for the following questions: "How did the baby get there? Was he kidnapped? Was it intentional? Is anyone looking for him?"

Eyster told the Tribune, "Initial examination indicated it may have been a home delivery."

"I want to find the mother and make sure she's OK," said Eyster. "After that, we'll let the chips fall where they fall. ... The priority is care and concern for the child, then the mother, and lastly if there's any criminal intent."

The SBPD indicated that Eyster worked with local media outlets to spread the word about the boy, often referred to in reports as "Baby Boy Doe."

"'Baby Doe' sounded so cruel," said Eyster. "So ... I started calling him 'Baby Jesus' since it was so close to Christmas."

South Bend Police Department

With the hunt underway for answers about the boy's origin, Eyster went out and bought a teddy bear to keep the child company in his hospital crib.

Eyster recently told CBS News that the bear was "just a symbol to let everyone that walked past know that he was cared about."

A subsequent report indicated the baby was found to be in good health and was believed to have been between three and seven days old when left in the entrance to the apartment building.

The mother who abandoned the child after a home delivery later turned herself in to police.

After the boy's medical examination, police indicated he was released to Child Protective Services whose division director at the time indicated there would be some kind of foster-care placement.

In the decades that followed, Eyster wondered what had become of the child, especially whenever he would pass the Park Jefferson apartment complex. There was no finding out, however, since the records were sealed.

South Bend Police Department

Blast from the past

According to SBPD, Eyster, who recently lost his only son, received a call from Officer Josh Morgan last month.

"Gene," said Morgan. "You aren't going to believe this."

Eyster indicated that he remembered virtually everything from his time on the force, especially the case of the abandoned baby at Christmastime.

"He's sitting next to me right now," said Morgan. "He's my rookie!"

"Baby Boy Doe" evidently grew up to become SBP Officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart.

The department indicated that Morgan pieced together parts of the puzzle after his rookie had mentioned his adoption in infancy and his abandonment when responding to a call regarding a similar incident.

Morgan pulled the thread further, tracking down the original case report, then identifying Eyster as the lead investigator.

On March 22, Eyster met Hegedus-Stewart, noting, "You're a little bit bigger now."

CBS News indicated that Hegedus-Stewart now wears the same uniform Eyster did and patrols the exact same neighborhood.

The SBPD suggested that the rookie "has to wonder if, even subconsciously, this experience motivated him to want to pursue law enforcement."

The rookie told the retired lieutenant in person, "Thank you for everything you did for me."

South Bend Police Department

Hegedus-Stewart told CBS News it was a "full-circle moment that hit home."

Eyster noted that the timing of the reunion, just months after his son's unexpected passing at the age of 36, "couldn't have been any better to help fill a void that I've had to deal with."

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Teen with only months to live gets dream car from dad, special invitation from Ford



A cancer-stricken teen with only months to live recently got his dream car. The 18-year-old also received a special invitation from the CEO of the Ford Motor Company.

The teenager's father, Joe Tegerdine, explained why he gifted his son a Ford Mustang in a post shared on the X social media platform earlier this month.

Tegerdine wrote, "For those wondering why I’d buy my 18yr old son a 330hp Mustang, well, he’s been given months to live and can’t work long enough to buy one himself. His comment on the way home, 'Dad, I’m going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this.'"

The tweet concluded with the hashtag: #cancersucks.

— (@)

The post shared on March 2 went viral with nearly 8,000 retweets, more than 177,000 likes, and almost 14 million views.

The tweet also caught the eye of Ford CEO Jim Farley — who replied by saying, "Hi Joe, I’m so sorry to hear what your family is going through. Please let me know if you and your son would like to attend @FPRacingSchool to experience a @FordMustang Dark Horse on the track. DM me and we’ll make it happen."

Tegerdine connected with Farley about the special invitation for his son Joseph to attend the Ford Performance Racing School.

Tegerdine told the Detroit Free Press, "It was really crazy. That tweet was just kind of random. He sent a direct message to me, saying, 'Hey, you want me to do this?' If it's OK, his guys would get everything set up ... at the Ford Performance Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. They're flying us out there. It's just really cool, and we'll stay in Charlotte for a couple of days. There's a big dinner before school. Then Joseph will be on the track with the (Mustang) Dark Horse."

Joseph said of the offer, "I don't know how to drift. I've always been too scared to go to a parking lot to figure that out, because I'd just hit a light pole or something. I need an instructor, a trainer. Also, I get to drive one of the most powerful Ford track Mustangs there is. This is going to be sick."

The Mustang Dark Horse boasts a 5.0L Ti-VCT V8 engine with 500 horsepower and 418-pound feet of torque. Joseph will get to drive the powerful Ford on the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Joseph said he is excited about his own Mustang since it's his dream car.

"I've just liked Mustangs for as long as I can remember. Six-year-old me liked it, the headlights looked cool, and I stuck with it," Joseph explained. "I used to drive this Ford Bronco. It was a big truck, basically. I'd get compliments and I'd feel so manly. We sold that and I started driving my mom's minivan, a Honda Odyssey. I felt like my testosterone was being drained away. Not great."

"You have to live day by day because, day by day, if you look at my life, it’s actually fantastic," Joseph said. "I'm in Japan right now. I've got a car of my dreams, I'm surrounded by tons of people I absolutely adore and I'm going to driving school."

Joseph is also cognizant that he likely only has months to live because of a terminal bone cancer called osteosarcoma.

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Osteosarcoma is a kind of cancer that begins in the cells that form bones. Osteosarcoma tends to happen most often in teenagers and young adults. But it also can happen in younger children and older adults. Osteosarcoma can start in any bone. It's most often found in the long bones of the legs, and sometimes the arms."

Joseph said, "Then you look at the future, and it all starts to break down. I don't really need to look at the future. Morbidly, I don’t really have one. I can’t be, like, 'In a year —' If I get a year, I’ll be extremely lucky."

The father said of his son's cancer diagnosis, "When my son was first diagnosed I had to make a decision. Either curse God and die or try to make the best of a really bad situation. With the perspective of what it would be like to experience sudden loss, I decided to be grateful. Grateful that we’ve had the 18 years to build memories and enjoy him."

"Even now, with the only treatments left to prolong life and manage pain, I’m thankful he’s still with us, squeezing out the best that life can offer under less than ideal circumstances," Tegerdine said. "My heart is still broken, but I know it could be a lot worse."

He noted, "Over the years, I’ve known many parents who have lost their children to sudden tragedy, who never got a chance to say goodbye."

The family is currently on vacation in Japan.

However, Joseph will continue radiation treatment and chemo, plus he'll need to undergo surgery when he gets back home.

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Plane containing a couple and a 2 year old crashed into the woods. A single parachute made all the difference.



A small plane containing a husband, wife, and their 2-year-old daughter took off Friday for Santa Rosa from Shelter Cove Airport in Humboldt County, California. The plane never made it to its destination.

Upon receiving a report of a possible airplane crash nearby Usal Road in Whitethorn around 1:15 p.m., Mendocino County Sheriff's Office deputies — joined by deputies from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, and other first responders — raced to the scene.

First responders scoured the hilly timberland and found an aircraft torn asunder. While the plane was in pieces, the Santa Rosa family was still together. What's more: the child and her 38-year-old parents made off with only minor cuts and scratches.

Five minutes after takeoff, the 2004 Cirrus SR22 single-propeller plane's engine apparently lost power. According to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the pilot attempted to figure out what killed the engine but quickly realized the "plane's altitude was too low for recovery."

Fortunately for the family, the plane was equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System.

"It sounded like it was a last-resort effort," Captain Quincy Cromer of the MCSO told the Press Democrat.

This whole-plane ballistic parachute recovery system, which has come standard on Cirrus aircraft since 1998, fires out a canopy attached to the fuselage that slows an ill-fated plane's descent in the interest of preserving its crew.

Sure enough, the CAPS worked for the family Friday, carrying their plane over to a heavily wooded and mountainous area straddling the Mendocino-Humboldt County line. While their descent was slowed, it was not arrested altogether. The plane ultimately crashed upside down onto the forest floor, losing its tail in the process.

Shelter Cove Fire Department, among the local departments that responded to the crash, emphasized that "even with the parachute the parties involved were extremely fortunate to only receive minor injuries."

SCFD also expressed gratitude "to Cal Fire Fortuna ECC, Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Company, Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue Team, USCG Sector Humboldt Bay, City Ambulance, and the quick acting witnesses who aided in locating the victims."

The MCSO suggested that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

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Dog helps save elderly owner who fell through the ice: 'Better give the dog a ribeye'



A 65-year-old man walking his dog across a frozen lake Thursday in East Bay Township, Michigan, fell through the ice and into the frigid depths below. Shoreside witnesses called 911, prompting a rapid response by Michigan State Police officer Kammeron Bennetts.

While quick to the scene, Bennetts, 30, still had to figure out how to mount a rescue without similarly ending up trapped on the wrong side of the lake. Fortunately, the waterlogged man's Brittany bird-hunting dog was more than willing to help.

Bodycam footage shows a bystander point out a dog-shadowed gap on Arbutus Lake where the Traverse City man went under. The officer grabs a rescue disc from his cruiser, fastens a rope to it, then heads out onto the ice.

Although able to venture roughly 40 feet away from shore, Bennetts nevertheless falls short of the man's position due to his uncertainty about the solidity of the ice ahead. The officer tosses the rescue disc to the man. While unsuccessful, the initial attempt excites the dog, giving Bennetts an idea.

"You revert to the tools in front of you. I only had a dog in front of me, so use the dog," Bennetts later told People. "I saw she was ready to go to work."

"Send your pup here. Will she come to me?" Bennetts can be heard yelling to the man steeped in freezing water.

The man indicates the dog's name is Ruby.

"Ruby, come here! Come here, Ruby!" yells the officer.

After some whistling and another summons, the dog comes bolting over to Bennetts.

"Will she get ahold of this?" asks the officer, coiling the rope. Ruby quickly indicates she's ready to do that and more.

After fastening the disc and rope to Ruby's collar, Bennetts yells, "Call her! Call her!"

Bennetts, who has been on the force for two years, later indicated, "Within a minute your dexterity in your fingers goes, you lose speech, you lose everything."

Although ultimately in the water for 16 minutes, the Traverse City man nevertheless manages to call Ruby. The dog brings the disc over to her master. With a direct line to the man, Bennetts tells him to take the disc and begin kicking his legs.

The MSP officer begins pulling the man to shore with Ruby providing emotional support. A firefighter from Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department soon leaps into action, joining Bennetts in the rescue.

After the incident, the officer suggested to the Traverse City man, "You better give the dog a ribeye."

According to the MSP, the man was transported by ambulance to Munson Medical Center and later released.

The MSP Seventh District stated on X, "Great team work and well done!"

The MSP Sixth District noted, "What a good girl!!! ... Creative thinking helped save a life!!!"

— (@)

Michigan State Police Lt. Derrick Carroll told People, "Everyone is impressed by [Bennetts'] ability to take control of the situation and his ability to think outside the box to rescue the man in such a timely manner."

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9-year-old abducted while on family camping trip found alive in cupboard of suspect's trailer: Governor



Charlotte Sena, a 9-year-old girl from Saratoga County, went missing Saturday while on a camping trip with family in upstate New York. Police suspected that she had been abducted and was "in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death."

Hundreds of first responders, family members, and friends scoured Moreau Lake State Park and the surrounding area for the girl, hoping to find the child unscathed.

Following a tactical raid on a trailer just miles away from the family's home, New York State Police announced Monday night that the fourth-grader had been found "safe and in good health."

According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, Charlotte's "abductor is behind bars."

While police employed various high-tech aids in their search, it appears what ultimately led them to the girl was the suspect's brazenness.

What's the background?

TheBlaze previously reported that the NYSP issued an AMBER Alert Sunday morning, indicating that the girl, from Greenfield, New York, had been abducted on Saturday around 6:45 p.m. near Moreau Lake State Park, Loop A, Site 18, in Gansevoort. The alert noted the girl "was taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death."

Missing posters noted that the girl is blonde, green-eyed, 4 feet 6 inches tall and 90 pounds, and had last been seen wearing her bike helmet, an orange Pokemon shirt, and dark blue pants.

Charlotte Sena was out bike-riding with friends but had elected to do one more loop down a paved road, which cut through a heavily wooded area.

When she didn't return after 15 minutes, her family began looking for her.

Police indicated that her bicycle was located in Loop A around 6:45. Two minutes later, her mom called 911 to report Charlotte missing.

Bloodhounds, divers, forest rangers, air boats, ATVs, and drones were deployed in the search that followed, which ultimately involved roughly 400 people. The FBI and 34 volunteer fire departments also jumped in to assist state and local law enforcement.

Moreau Lake State Park was closed to the public, and the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted the airspace over the park to protect search aircraft.

Trisha, Charlotte Sena's mother, told the Albany Times Union her daughter is a "good kid" and "trusting," stressing, "I just want my daughter back."

The Sena family told NBC News in a statement, "We just want her returned safely like any parent would. No tip is too small, please call if you know anything at all."

Hand-delivered evidence

Hochul told CNN that around 4:20 a.m. on Monday, the suspect "literally drove up to the family's mailbox assuming they were not home" and left an apparent ransom note.

The NYSP had been monitoring the home while the child's parents continued their search in Monreau Lake State Park. However, when the suspect hand-delivered the note, police were absent, having reportedly been called to another scene. While thus able to slip away, the suspect unwittingly left critical evidence behind: his fingerprints on the letter.

"That was instrumental in leading us directly to the suspect," added Hochul.

The police reportedly tested the note for fingerprints and searched law enforcement databases for a match. Although unsuccessful in their first attempt, the second search resulted in an apparent match to fingerprints from a 1999 DUI conviction in Saratoga, according to Newsweek.

After investigators identified 46-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr. as their suspect and ascertained that he was living in a trailer behind his mother's home on Barrett Road, Milton, two SWAT teams were dispatched.

Around 20 Special Operations Response Team members and an FBI SWAT team reportedly made entry just after 6 p.m. on Monday.

"They had what they call a dynamic entry tactical maneuver, and within the camper they located the suspect," said Hochul.

Ross got banged up in the process, having reportedly resisted arrest.

— (@)

Police found the 9-year-old stowed away in a cabinet in the trailer.

"She knew she was being rescued," said Hochul. "She knew she was in safe hands."

"Law enforcement teams were relentless in finding this little girl — putting the pieces together and leaving no cabin unturned — to bring Charlotte home to her parents," Hochul wrote on X. "Charlotte is safe and her abductor is behind bars tonight."

The Albany Times Union indicated that Ross' arrest was made less than three hours after NYSP said the search had been expanded over 46 linear miles.

It is unclear whether Ross knew of the Sena family prior to the abduction; however, Newsweek noted that his car registration is listed at an address near the Sena family home.

FBI joins search for missing 9-year-old Charlotte Senayoutu.be

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Stray dog repeatedly escaped from shelter to hang out in a nursing home. Now, he gets to call it his own: 'If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.'



A nameless stranger with a mysterious past found himself incarcerated in a facility in Bellaire, Michigan. While clearly homeless, he nevertheless evidenced a strong sense of belonging. However, he apparently did not feel that he belonged at the Antrim County Animal Control shelter.

The dog, later named Scout — a 65-pound mutt at least 10 years of age about whom little was known except for signs of past abuse and evidence of having been shot in the face — managed to break free of the shelter on multiple occasions, clearing both the shelter's 10-foot chain link fence and a 6-foot privacy fence, then crossing a highway, reported the Detroit Free Press.

"He climbed the chain-linked kennel," Heather Belknap, the shelter's director, told the Washington Post. "There's a six-foot solid vinyl fence around the dog kennels. He jumped over that fence."

This was no mere escape, but a journey somewhere specific: the Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility, a long-term, 82-bed nursing home catering primarily to seniors.

The first time he got out, Scout made his way inside the nursing home and slept in the lobby on a leather loveseat. A nurse found Scout the next morning then called animal control, who acknowledged he had gone missing the night before.

Scout made another great escape just a few nights later. Again, he found his groove on the leather loveseat, and again he slept until caught.

The Free Press indicated that, despite being carted back to the shelter a second time, Scout wasn't ready to call it quits, making his way to his spot in the nursing home a third time just a few nights later.

"He was pretty relentless in his pursuit to be here," Stephanie Elsey, a clinical care coordinator at the facility, told the Post. "He found his home."

Following the dog's third incursion, an employee at the nursing home took Scout home. While the arrangement was not meant to be, it spurred a conversation amongst the nursing home staff concerning the prospect of adopting Scout.

"I’m a person who looks at outward signs, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be," Marna Robertson, the facility's administrator, told the Free Press. "He did that one time, two times, three times, and obviously that's something you should pay attention to. And I asked the staff, 'Well, he wants to be here. Would anybody like to have a dog?'"

The staff evidently answered in the affirmative — to the delight of the residents.

Rhonda Tomzack, an administrative assistant at the facility, said, "I think it reminds them of being home. ... When you're home you have your pets, and you don't get to have that here. Having a dog around makes it feel like home."

Scout has reportedly had the run of Glacier Hill, a unit at the facility housing 20 seniors, since 2017.

In addition to visiting various residents, particularly those liable to give him biscuits, he also comforts the elderly, even if behind closed doors, having long since learned to open them.

82-year-old Shirley Sawyer, one of the residents, said, "He'll always let you pet him and lets you talk to him if you need someone to talk to. ... It's very nice."

Sawyer's brother, Bob Shumaker, also in residence, frequently feigns to be asleep while Scout noses him before Shumaker finally caves and gives him a biscuit.

Despite a clear history of abuse, the dog reportedly responds well to the elderly, particularly the most vulnerable among them.

Robertson told the Free Press, "He certainly has a penchant for the elders. He's very in tune with what they need, especially our very vulnerable population. If they have dementia or if they're dying, he knows that, and he will go and be with them and comfort them. He must've just felt like he needed to be here."

Jenny Martinek, the nursing home's household coordinator, noted, "To each and every one of them, it's their dog."

In honor of Scout, the nursing home has once again kicked off a fundraiser for the Antrim County Animal Shelter.


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14-year-old out fishing hooked farmer's lost wallet, full of cash. Like his old man, he knew not to keep something he hadn't earned.



14-year-old Connor Halsa of Moorhead, Minnesota, was out fishing with his family on Lake of the Woods when he hooked bills instead of gills.

"We were doing a walleye drift, so we stopped the boat, put some spinners on, and let the waves take us," Halsa told WDAY-TV.

Of all of the places he could have drifted to on the lake — some 85 miles long and 56 miles across at its widest — those serendipitous waves brought Halsa over the resting place of Iowa farmer Jim Denney's lost wallet, stuck 20 feet below in the glacial deeps.

The summer prior, Denney reportedly came up against rough waters and went overboard. Although he managed to bring himself out of the murk all right, Denney later realized when readying to pay his final bill at the resort that the pocket on his overalls was down one billfold and $2,000 dollars.

"They had to float me the money for the whole deal. That's the (worst) feeling I ever had, didn't have a penny on me," Denney told the station.

This summer, Halsa struck on the wallet, but mistook it for a nibble.

Ready for a fight, the boy "set the hook really hard."

The incoming freshman at Moorhead High School came out victorious, but what came out of the water was no walleye. Rather, the 14-year-old had reeled in Denney's billfold, packed with $2,000 in cash.

"My cousin opened the wallet up, and he said some words you probably shouldn't say," Halsa told WDAY. "He showed everyone, and we took the money out and let it dry out."

$2,000 can go a long way, especially for a 14-year-old, but Halsa explained, "We didn't work hard for the money. He did. It was his money."

"My dad said we should give it to the person, and I said we should too," Halsa recalled.

After setting the cash out to dry, the family looked for some way to identify the owner. All they could find inside the water-logged wallet was a business card with a phone number belonging to a livestock owner in western Wisconsin — and that proved to be enough.

They called the number on the card and eventually got in touch with the owner of the wallet.

Although the wallet made its way to his farmhouse in Mount Ayr, Iowa, Denney traveled to Moorhead to visit Halsa, amazed by his luck and the boy's virtue, reported the Star Tribune.

"I tell you what, I have the billfold in my hands, and it is still hard to believe," said Denney.

The farmer reportedly offered to give the boy a reward, but Halsa refused.

"To meet people like that, who are that honest, I tried to get them to take the money, and they wouldn't do it," said the farmer.

While Halsa refused a reward, the Iowan gifted him a custom-made cooler and paid him a compliment: "I would take Connor as a grandson any day, and I would fight for him any day."

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Teen hooks wallet full of cash while fishingyoutu.be

33-year-old called up to the major leagues makes his 13-year wait count: 'I'm going out hacking'



Drew Maggi played 1,155 games in the minor leagues over the course of 13 seasons. Up until last month, he had the sneaking suspicion that his shot at Major League fame had come and gone. Nevertheless, he persevered and kept swinging for the fences.

The 33-year-old learned on April 22 that he was being called up to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates — what he reckoned was a "dream come true."

While the crowd at his debut game on Wednesday was overjoyed to see him, they ultimately saw him strike out.

Maggi later learned the Pirates had optioned him back to Double-A Altoona, meaning his long wait may have ultimately been for naught. However, the Pirates kept him on for its doubleheader against the Washington Nationals, permitting him one last shot to leave his mark.

Maggi did not disappoint.

The journey to the plate

TheBlaze previously reported that prior to his summons to the major leagues, Maggi had contemplated calling it quits.

"You always believe that you can get another shot, but as you get older, you have that in your mind: 'This could be it for me,'" he said.

However, he never caved to doubt or despair.

"I got to a certain point where it was like, 'You know what? It doesn’t matter. I love playing baseball. As long as I have a jersey on and I’m having a good time, whatever.'"

Calix Crabbe, the Altoona Curve manager and the Pirates' assistant hitting coordinator, told Maggi seated amidst his Curve teammates last month, "Maggi, you're going to get an opportunity to move up."

Maggi appeared dumbstruck until Crabbe confirmed the news with a hug and a handshake, at which point he leapt up and said, "Let's f****** go!"

Strike out

UPI News reported that Maggi made his Major League entrance as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Pirates' 8-1 home game win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 27. He had replaced veteran designated hitter Andrew McCutchen.

The crowd erupted with excitement, giving the emotionally overwhelmed 33-year-old a standing ovation as he approached the plate.

"I didn't even know what to do," Maggi said on the AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast. "[The crowd] was cheering me on. I never expected that. I thought I'd make my debut and it would be a normal at-bat."

\u201cDrew Maggi receives a standing ovation during his MLB debut for the @Pirates after 1,155 minor league games! \ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f\u201d
— MLB (@MLB) 1682559167

Despite the fanfare, Maggi was unable to make good on this first opportunity.

According to UPI, he fouled off a 93.5-mph fastball, then received an automatic strike for a timer violation. After a foul ball, he missed a low-and-inside slider, thereby striking out.

Although the Pirates handily won the game, Maggi no doubt felt a sense of personal loss; especially when days later, he was optioned back to the Altoona Curve.

The 'perfect hit'

With the understanding that he was on his way back to the minor leagues, Maggi maintained his resolve Saturday during the Pirates' doubleheader against the Washington Nationals. His time came in the seventh inning of the second game of the day, which the Pirates ultimately took in a 16-1 victory. Maggi helped put one of those points on the board.

Yahoo! Sports reported that facing off with Nationals pitcher Hobie Harris, Maggi fouled two and missed two.

"It was do or die," he later told reporters. "I know, of all people, that this can end very quickly. Who knows where it goes from here? Maybe I never get back up here, and that was it. That was going through my head the whole day, so it was kind of like, 'You know what? I'm swinging. I'm going out hacking.'"

Maggi successfully lined a 2-2 splitter into left field for an RBI single, putting his team up 13-0 and driving the crowd wild.

\u201cDrew Maggi is at it again, folks.\u201d
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pittsburgh Pirates) 1682815580

Upon reflection, Maggi later stated that he was "not trying to do too much. It was like the perfect hit, too, 'cause I saw it go right through the middle, and it's so vivid in my mind right now. ... I was so happy I got it done, got that weight lifted off my shoulders."

The crowd gave Maggi a sendoff he won't soon forget:

\u201cMAGGI\nMAGGI\nMAGGI\u201d
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pittsburgh Pirates) 1682817148

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