Advertisement 'I thought I was going to die;' teen says after rescue in Falls Park Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A 19-year-old had to be rescued from the waterfall in Falls Park in downtown Greenville Wednesday afternoon.Witnesses said they called 911 just before 2:30 p.m. To see Sky 4 video of the rescue, click here.To see ground-level video of the rescue, click here.To see video of EMS with the man after the rescue, click here.The young man told WYFF News 4's Corey Davis that his name is Gary Lance.Lance was in the middle of the rocks in the waterfall and was unable to climb out.He waved at Sky 4, which was shooting video from the air, just after he was rescued. Lance said he didn't go into the fall to be on TV."I did it because I just wanted to swim and I didn't fall down the falls on purpose. I was on the falls and current picked me up and I fell down," Lance said. Mark Jones, assistant chief with the Greenville Fire Department, said six rescuers used ropes to climb down the rocks to reach the teenager. A crowd gathered on Liberty Bridge to watch the rescue and several people called WYFF News 4."He flew down the first one and then once he fell down the great big one, we thought he died. He was wedging himself in between the rocks so we didn't know if he was alive or not," Marcie Vanduyne said. Lance said he thought he was going to die, adding that he just got in over his head.He said he was not injured. Sgt. Billy Albert with the Greenville Police Department said, "I don't believe we're going to ticket him. We're going to talk with him and try to figure out exactly what happened.""He was lucky this time, but I mean that was a pretty big fall. We're glad it turned out alright," Albert said. Witnesses said they saw Lance naked in the water on Friday. Lance admitted that he lost his shorts while in the water but said it was an accident. The city's website states: "Rocks located in the Reedy River are slippery due to algae growth and water on the rocks. A fall on the rocks can lead to serious injury. The South Carolina Department of Heath and Environmental Control has determined that the Reedy River is contaminated with high concentrations of harmful bacteria that can cause serious infections to humans. For these reasons, wading, swimming, and climbing on the rocks in Falls Park are prohibited."