'It was incredible': Spring break in Florida takes a dramatic and heroic turn for a Clarence teen
17-year-old Brody Kaufman credited with saving a man’s life during spring break

A spring break getaway in the Florida Keys took a dramatic and heroic turn for one Clarence teenager, whose quick thinking and emergency training helped save a man from drowning.
By: Taylor Anthony
Posted 5:46 PM, Apr 21, 2025 and last updated 7:08 PM, Apr 21, 2025
CLARENCE, N.Y. (WKBW) — A spring break getaway in the Florida Keys took a dramatic and heroic turn for one Clarence teenager, whose quick thinking and emergency training helped save a man from drowning.

17-year-old Brody Kaufman was relaxing in a car when a text from his mom jolted him into action: a kayaker had flipped into the ocean and was being swept away by a powerful current. Without hesitation, Kaufman, a junior volunteer firefighter with the Harris Hill Volunteer Fire Co., jumped into rescue mode.

“It was really life or death at that point,” Kaufman said. “If that life jacket came off with that current, I don’t think he would have had a chance.”

Using borrowed ropes from a nearby fisherman, Kaufman and others on the scene worked quickly to secure the struggling kayaker and drag him back toward safety.

“We finally got a third rope—heavier duty, more trustworthy,” Kaufman said. “We all made a group decision to start dragging him…probably three to 400 yards down the bridge.”

As the man's life jacket began to slip, Kaufman knew there was no time to waste. He led the effort to pull the man from the water before emergency responders arrived.

“Thank God Brody was able to get a rope to him,” said Matt Kaufman, Brody's father. “We just tried to drag him as far as we could.”

Emergency vehicles, including the Coast Guard, arrived shortly after the man was safely brought to shore. Witnesses described the scene as a powerful example of ordinary citizens stepping up in a moment of crisis.

Kaufman, a junior at Clarence High School and the Harkness Career and Technical Center, said he didn’t think twice before jumping into action.

“It wasn’t just scary,” he said. “The sense of pride you feel after actually saving a life—it was incredible.”

Now back home, Kaufman is looking ahead to his football and track seasons and maybe even a future career as a full-time first responder.