Robert Herjavec came to the rescue of a family stranded on the waters of Lake Josephs in Ontario, Canada earlier this month.
Ahead of the highly anticipated season 13 premiere of his hit ABC series, Shark Tank, the 58-year-old businessman and investor came across a troubled family while out jet-skiing. And, as People magazine has since confirmed, that family was former professional hockey player Tom Lawson and his three children, including his two daughters, Ava, 15, and Faith, 14, and his son, Luke, 11.
Robert Herjavec Shared Footage Of The Water Rescue On Instagram
"I was out jet skiing and I saw a boat drifting with a dad and his three kids, waving their arms frantically," Herjavec revealed to People. "My first thought was they must love Shark Tank, but then I realized they were out of gas and stranded."
As fans of Herjavec may have seen, the Shark Tank personality shared a video of his dramatic water rescue on his Instagram page.
According to Herjavec, who has five children of his own, including his three-year-old twins, Hudson Robert Herjavec and Haven Mae Herjavec, who he shares with wife Kym Johnson.
Tom Lawson And His Family Were In An Unlit Boat
Looking back on the moment he came to the rescue of Lawson and his family, Herjavec confirmed there was "a sense of urgency" to get them to safety as the sun was going down and it would soon be dark.
"They were in an unlit aluminum boat not meant to be out at night," he explained. "We found a rope, tied it to the jet ski and I towed them back to their lake house."
"Did my good deed for the day!" he added. "It’s funny, the dad is a fireman and said to me he normally rescues people — so now I get to say I rescued a fireman."
Tom Lawson Reflects On ‘Humbling’ Experience
"They were super nice, appreciative and big Shark Tank fans. See, sharks can be nice too!" Herjavec laughed.
Meanwhile, according to Lawson, who also spoke to People magazine about Herjavec’s rescue, the incident took place around 8 p.m. after he and his three children ventured out for a boat ride on his fishing boat.
"On the way back, approximately 1 km away from our cottage for the week, we had some boat trouble," he shared. "We didn’t have much luck waving down the first few boats that went past. We saw a Sea-Doo and we were lucky enough to catch the driver’s attention. As the fella on the Sea-Doo got closer, we recognized that it was Robert Herjavec! The experience became even more humbling."
Tom Lawson Applauded Robert Herjavec As A ‘True Hero’
Lawson also said Herjavec "did not hesitate" to help him and his family
"He looked excited as he said with a huge smile to his wife [Kym Johnson], who was also on her own Sea-Doo, ‘I am rescuing people!’" Lawson recalled. "Robert was as nice in person as he appears on TV. Once we got back to the dock and exchanged handshakes and took photos, he drove off into the sunset like a true hero."
To see more of Robert Herjavec and his cast mates, don’t miss the upcoming premiere of the 13th season of Shark Tank, which airs on October 8 on ABC.
