Prague runner saves two police officers after car plunges into Vltava

The runner who rescued two police officers from a car that fell into the Vltava in Prague on the morning of 10 October has received the police’s thanks. He is entrepreneur Kryštof Topinka, whom the police initially called “Mr Runner” because they did not know his name. “He was in the right place at the right time and did everything he could to save our officers,” the police wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. The police president and the director of Prague police presented him with an award this week.

On Saturday 10 October, shortly before eight in the morning, Topinka saw a car plunge into the river while out running. According to police, “without hesitating for a second, he ran down to the lower part of the Náplavka embankment and jumped into the water.”

How the rescue unfolded

A male and a female officer swam out of the car, in shock and weighed down by heavy, soaked gear. The runner grabbed both and helped them reach a retaining wall. One of the officers grabbed a rope thrown into the water, while the rescuer helped the woman to a ladder, lifted her up and, with the help of another man, pulled her out. The officer who had been driving was injured, so he was taken to the bank by a different route — to the lower part of the embankment, where he was pulled from the water together with other rescuers.

What is known about the crash

Camera footage shows the speeding police SUV skidding on wet tram tracks. The car swerved sharply to the right, narrowly missed three passing vehicles, broke through the barrier and fell from Hlávka Bridge into the Vltava, losing a tyre on the way.

According to public data, Topinka is a Prague entrepreneur and a former professional kickboxer. After the rescue he left the scene without leaving any contact details. Police identified him two days later: one of their staff turned out to know him through a friend who is dating the rescuer.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz