Kim Brisbois and her son, Jayden, 14, of Danvers were out for a walk on Stacy Boulevard about 4:45 p.m. Friday when her son, who has profound autism and is nonverbal, flung the iPad device he depends on for communication over the railing into the waters of the Western Harbor near the Fisherman’s Memorial.
The iPad’s case managed to keep the device afloat.
Before Brisbois or others could call for help, Bernard Christie, 32, of Gloucester took off his shirt and shoes.
He climbed through the railing, and using the letters of “Stacy Boulevard” carved into the seawall as handholds and footholds, he clamored down to the water. He can be heard on a 1-minute and 18-second video shared to Facebook “if anything I’ll just go down to the beach” as a way of getting out of the water before jumping feet first into the frigid harbor.
Christie quickly swam out and retrieved the device and managed to hand it up to his wife, Brianna Cook, who was standing with their 6-month-old baby, Bentley, in a stroller.
“He’s my guardian angel,” Brisbois can be heard as Christie finds his footing and makes his way back up the wall, before sliding under the railing.
“What a great guy,” a woman’s voice can be heard off camera.
“We are so thankful for his kindness,” Brisbois commented on Facebook. “And to the person who captured this moment. Gloucester is blessed to have such a kind and caring person in their community.”
Brisbois, who is originally from Gloucester, said she and her son like to walk the boulevard because it’s nice and wide and Jayden can bounce, jump or tap on the railings without bothering others.
Her son carries his iPad in a case with a strap. Being nonverbal, he taps an icon on the iPad to talk for him to have his needs met: when he wants to eat, drink, use the bathroom or say his name, among other things.
“He never takes it off,” Brisbois said. “It’s part of who he is.”
Brisbois said her son was walking by himself and in a split second the case with the iPad came off and it went flying through the air, landing in the water. Also in a split second, Brisbois said, Christie had his shoes and shirt off and was going into the water.
“He never flinched,” Brisbois said. “He never had a second thought.”
“A true guardian angel,” said Brisbois, whose husband died in June of congestive heart failure.
The video shows Christie has a large tattoo of angel’s wings on his back, and when Brisbois saw them she thought of her husband. The older couple had fostered Jayden when he was 3 and adopted him when he was 7.
She said Christie’s split-second random act of kindness gives her hope there is a better future for kids like her son.
The iPad that was rescued from the harbor has been placed in rice and unfortunately was still not working as of Monday, Brisbois said.
She had to buy a new one over the weekend so her son could go to school. She said they did not get the name of the woman who took the video, but the woman did share it with them along with a photo.
Brisbois said they would like to find the woman who took the video to give her credit.
Christie, who grew up in Revere, works installing restaurant ventilation systems. He has lived in Gloucester for four years, he and his wife falling in love with its beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. They had just come from the Holy Cow ice cream shop on Pleasant Street for a stroll.
During their walk, Christie said he heard a woman’s voice cry, “Oh no” when the iPad went sailing into the water. He was determined and would not be talked out of retrieving it, given he was right there, close by, and by the time help arrived, it could have washed away.
“I didn’t think twice about it,” he said. He was unaware anyone was recording him.
To Christie, he had jumped into the water to save a kid’s iPad. It was only later he found out it was so important for Jayden’s communication skills. In another coincidence, Christie said his birthday happens to be April 1, right at the start of Autism Awareness Month.
“To me it’s not a big deal,” he said of what he did, “but to Kim and Jayden, it’s everything.”
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.