FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen made a heroic rescue effort Friday morning while he was live on Fox News.
As Hurricane Helene slammed the southeast, flooding became rampant in Atlanta, where Van Dillen was stationed. As he was reporting live on FOX & Friends, he could hear a woman screaming from her car as it was being submerged.
Van Dillen called 911 to help the woman, but due to the flooding, the response time took longer than usual. “911’s gotcha. You’re good,” he reassured the woman.
However, as his report concluded, he said he couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so he gave his microphone, cell phone, and wallet to his photographer, and waded into the water just after 7 AM to help the woman from her trapped car.
“I just said ‘I realize I’m with you guys, I’m on-air, but I can’t let it go,'” he shared. Van Dillen added that the water got about chest-deep for him. He said the water was roughly 80 degrees, so it wasn’t as cold as maybe some observers expected, and there wasn’t much of a current to stop him from making the rescue.
Bob Van Dillen was hailed as a hero by the FOX & Friends cast Friday morning. Janice Dean said she was not surprised that the FOX Weather meteorologist did what he did, stating that she’s known him for 15 years and knows that’s the type of person he is.
