Original subtitles

Next, on a special episode of Paranormal Caught on Camera...

An extreme skier in the Alps

is swallowed whole by an avalanche.

A man in England is trapped in a narrow underground tunnel.

I'm gonna be honest to you,

watching this clip gave me acute anxiety.

Run! Run! Run! Run!

A hang glider in Switzerland holds on for dear life.

It surprised the heck out of me.

And I was just looking down and saying,

"I'm gonna fall to my death here."

A jet skier in Florida...

Oh,!

...suffers a devastating crash.

Are you all right dude? You all right?

When I first got to him in the water,

I actually thought he was deceased.

And even more death-defying footage that will have you screaming...

Oh, my God, it's a bobcat!

Claustrophobia is the fear of small enclosed spaces.

It can cause shortness of breath,

increased heart rate,

nausea,

and an intense fear of death.

If you have a tendency to experience this psychological state,

prepare yourself.

This first story about a man stuck in a narrow tunnel

while water is rising up around his head...

...is a doozy.

February 2016 in Lancashire, England.

Bob Johnson, a recreational caver,

is with a friend and several other cave enthusiasts,

as they attempt to conquer Lost Johns' Cave.

An extensive system of caves popular

with experienced spelunkers around the world.

My name is Bob Johnson.

This is my video.

We chose Lost Johns' Cave because it's quite a challenging cave.

I'd been down there previously,

a number of years prior to the event.

So I was quite looking forward

to going back down into Lost Johns' Cave itself.

But on this trip, the team is planning to explore a deeper

and more challenging portion of the cave.

That Bob is unfamiliar with.

The intention was on that day to enter the cave at the roadside

in one particular entrance.

And then exit the cave somewhere else along the fell.

Unknown to me, we had to go through part of the cave called The Tube.

To reach the entrance of The Tube itself,

We'd already been caving nearly four or five hours.

It's very, very physical to get to The Tube.

Two guys went ahead of me, who were more experienced with the cave.

And the other two guys were behind me.

They were also very experienced.

As Bob enters The Tube,

the challenge is clear.

It was quite narrow from the onset.

I had to take off my climbing harness and my equipment,

and my caving helmet.

It curved to the left.

And when I reached that point, the side of my chest got stuck on...

...like a small spike on the side of the cave.

Because of the position I was in,

I couldn't actually pull myself around.

And I tried, and I tried a bit more.

And that's when I realized...

I'm stuck.

Bob is completely immobile.

He passes his helmet to the two men who have already gone through.

And the direness of the situation becomes even more apparent.

Bob's body is clogging the passageway

causing the water to rise around his head.

I'm gonna be honest here, watching this clip gave me acute anxiety.

It's a nightmare. It certainly is my greatest fear

to get stuck in a situation like that.

I would've completely freaked out.

The claustrophobia that immediately came over me was overwhelming

to be in that situation.

And then the panic of knowing that the water was rising.

It's everything for me not to be screaming at my own phone.

And if you think watching this is difficult.

Just imagine how Bob is feeling right now.

No.

I broke the cardinal rule.

I started to panic.

And that made things a whole lot worse.

Panic makes any tight spot tighter.

And that's not just metaphorical.

That's literal panic.

You're taking deeper breaths.

Your body is pushing against its confinement.

You potentially are trapping yourself when you begin to panic

in a situation like this.

My mind started racing,

I had no sense of composure.

I had to try and calm myself down.

But I couldn't.

The water was filling up my suit.

I was starting to lose all sense of realization.

I recall at one point where the water seemed to be getting really deep.

And...

I actually experienced the white light for a brief moment.

It became quite peaceful, and everything just going white, like a flash.

I don't know what it meant. But I do remember it.

Perhaps what those white lights mean, at least this time,

is that Bob is going to be okay.

Because the two colleagues behind him

are finally able to begin pulling him out.

That's it.

Yeah.

After I was pulled free of The Tube,

I actually broke down.

I sat alone for about five minutes in the dark.

Just to gather my thoughts, get some rest.

Just take a few deep breaths.

Four hours later,

Bob and the two men who pulled him out,

exit the caves through an alternate route.

Once I was out of the cave,

it was pitch black outside, the stars were shining.

The sky was black.

And I just collapsed in a heap.

I could not move.

I was gone.

And if you're thinking Bob would let a harrowing experience

like this cause him to eventually stop caving...

You'd be right.

I no longer cave anymore.

I focus my time on mountain biking,

which is aboveground and much safer.

But he has been able to put the whole experience

into perspective.

I just laugh now,

I think it's quite funny.

It was an event.

It was part of my life, and it's a story I can tell to my grandkids.

Could you get higher? Slightly.

Coming up, two dogs have fallen through the ice.

Can this man save them?

Falling through the ice...

...is a terrifying ordeal.

You're immediately plunged into frigid water,

making it difficult to breathe.

Your muscles fatigue and grow heavier by the second.

All while being surrounded by a barrier of ice.

That's what happened to two dogs recently in New York.

And it was going to take an exceptional human being

to get them out alive.

March 2019, in Irvington, New York.

Timofey Yuriev and his family are enjoying a chilly late afternoon jaunt

around a local reservoir.

My name is Timofey Yuriev.

And this was my video.

But their idyllic weekend stroll

is about to be put on hold.

But it quickly becomes clear

that the dogs are stuck in the ice...

...and starting to suffer.

As I watch this, I'm struck by how the dogs are not moving much.

They are slowing down,

and the cold is getting to them.

And quite frankly,

they don't have much time left.

Which is why Timofey does what he does next.

Watch as Melissa films

Timofey and his dog, Kira, walk straight into the icy cold waters.

And first, head toward the dog closer to shore.

With both Timofey and Kira's assistance.

The first dog makes it safely back to shore.

But the second dog remains,

farther out and in deeper water than the first.

As Timofey heads for the second dog,

the depth of the water quickly drops to 10 feet.

Meaning he must stay afloat while breaking the ice with his bare arms.

Incredibly, once again,

Timofey and Kira lead the second dog back safely to the shore.

He looked like he knew what he was doing.

That goes a long way

with dogs feeling comforted and feeling that they can trust.

"Okay, this is, this is someone who's going to help me.

This is someone who's going to lead me to success or survival

or where I need to be."

But how exactly was Timofey able to shed his clothes

and go into the icy waters, not once, but twice to save these dogs

with what looked like relative ease?

Simple, he grew up spending summers with his grandfather in Siberia.

And clearly, not his last.

Having a backstory like that

starts to build this sense of, almost, fate,

that this can't be a coincidence

that this is the man who spotted these two dogs in this icy river in need.

Which is why Timofey is just grateful for being at the right place

at the right time.

Coming up, an off-duty officer must act fast...

Oh,!

...to save an unconscious jet skier.

Are you all right, dude? You all right?

Call it a sixth sense,

that little voice inside our heads

that every now and then speaks to us.

And sometimes, no matter how strange or inexplicable it may seem,

we listen to what it has to say.

And it changes our life...

forever.

A law enforcement officer in Florida can speak to that

because one day, something told him to stay out on his jet ski

just a little bit longer.

Oh,!

And that decision...

helped him to save a man's life.

Are you all right, dude? You all right?

2017, St. Petersburg, Florida.

It's a beautiful day.

And Deputy Alex Floyd is enjoying a day off jet skiing with his father.

I'm Alex Floyd, and this is my video.

My father and I were actually going out to St. Petersburg, Florida,

to go out on the coast and to destress for the day, basically.

Go hit the water all day long.

And for four hours, that's exactly what they do.

Then, as they are about to head in...

...a passing ship creates a large wake.

So Alex and his father decide to ride through it.

When in the distance...

Oh,!

You'll hear my reaction when I see this gentleman I didn't know hit this wave

at extreme speed and go flying 20 feet in the air

and cover a massive amount of distance.

That's a genuine reaction from me when you see him fly like that.

Oh,!

Oh,!

So I was like, "Look, first off, let me go make sure he's all right,

and second of all, I'm gonna go tell him

that was pretty awesome to watch."

But, as Alex approaches the crashed jet ski,

it quickly becomes clear...

...that something is very wrong.

Are you all right, dude? You all right?

You all right?

I got you, bro.

I got you.

I got you.

When I first got to him in the water,

I actually thought he was deceased.

I thought I was...

when I jumped in where he was floating facedown in the water,

I actually thought he had...

He had passed away at that time.

Are you all right, dude? You all right?

You all right?

All right, I got you, bro.

I got you.

I heard him moan.

And then once I hear that moan...

I got you, bro.

That's when I knew, okay, this is not a recovery now.

I need to actually get this guy to where I can work on him

and provide him those life-saving measures.

I got you, bro, hang on.

Let me get back to my jet ski, okay?

He was bleeding from both of his ears

and from his chin, and he'd been unconscious for a number of minutes.

So, to me, that tells me that he has a severe head injury.

So, the biggest thing I could do was basically hold him there,

find a boat.

That was my next game plan.

I got you, I know.

I got you.

I got you, hang on.

This victim is very, very lucky that

the person that was there on the scene was this deputy.

I got you.

He did everything that you're supposed to do in this situation,

he didn't move him around a lot.

He didn't compromise the spine in that process.

...hold you head up, okay? -

I know.

Just keep breathing, okay?

And then when the gentleman started to regain some consciousness,

he wanted to make sure that he understood the situation, what was going on,

just to be able to evaluate him just a little bit further,

to make sure that his injuries weren't any more life-threatening.

I know, you got to stay exactly how you are, okay?

Don't move.

Don't move.

You know, when you're involved in that type of situation,

you have to have that level head.

The biggest thing is, if you are not thinking clearly,

then you can't make clear decisions.

If I'm calm, cool, and collected,

I can make clear decisions that are gonna help this person out,

and to potentially save his life.

The man's friend soon catches up and is able to take him

on his jet ski and head back to shore for medical attention.

He was knocked unconscious floating under, facedown.

Yeah, seriously.

Alex's actions have saved the man's life.

But, what's perhaps most remarkable

is that it almost didn't happen.

We were actually about to go in to be done for the day.

And we actually stopped a few times.

And then my dad would say, "Look, there's a ship that's on the horizon."

And I'm like, "All right, yeah. We'll wait for the ship."

Then we're like, "Oh, it's taking forever to get here.

Why don't we load up again? Let's head out.

We don't want to wait." Then I said,

"No, let's wait for the ship again."

This happened like three times.

Once the ship actually passed, we realized there was a large wave

that was pushing off the back of it.

And, "Hey, that'd be fun to go play on."

So I turned back around and headed back toward the wave.

And as fate would have it, that was the same wave

that knocked out the man Alex saved.

Oh,!

Oh,!

It's almost like somebody puts you there in that position,

the right person for the right time.

I got you.

It wasn't his time, you know?

I got you, bro. Hang on.

When we put together the stories of our lives,

we go through this process of retrospective meaning-making,

where we look back at something and say,

"You know what, I almost went in two hours before that.

But I stayed out.

And I couldn't even now tell you why.

But this is why.

I stayed out without knowing it because I needed to be there

to save this person."

And that's never something that anyone can really see in advance.

It's something that you only see in hindsight.

And yet, it's so essential to how we make sense of these moments in our lives.

A lesson which Alex has taken to heart.

Oh,!

Given some experiences I've been through,

I do believe that there is something out there that does look after us

and, you know, probably kept us both there to go help him out.

Coming up, a couple in North Carolina, is attacked...

Oh, my God!

...by a rabid bobcat.

Oh, my God! It's a bobcat!

It's a bobcat!

Bobcats are medium-sized wild cats

that are native to North America,

can reach a weight of nearly 40 pounds,

and have razor-sharp claws that can grow up to 3 inches long,

perfect for neutralizing prey.

And while that might seem unsettling,

bobcats are not traditionally thought to be threatening to humans.

Well...

unless they're rabid.

Then...

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

...you might be in trouble.

April 2021, in Burgaw, North Carolina.

Good morning!

Happy and Kristi Wade are outside of their house,

getting ready to bring their cat to the vet.

My name is Happy.

My name is Kristi and this is our video.

Good morning!

We happened to be off from work and we were headed to

Wilmington, North Carolina, which is about 30 miles east to where we live,

to our veterinarian for our senior kitty cat.

Her name is Caroline.

I need to wash my car.

Kristi is bringing their cat to the car in a carrier.

- When suddenly...

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Kristi is attacked...

...by a bobcat.

Oh, my God!

Happy throws it as far as he can.

Go, go!

Kristi, watch out!

But it's not far enough.

Get out! Watch out!

We literally hear me say, "Run, Kristi, watch out."

Because I thought she was still in the garage.

She had actually already gone back into the house.

Kristi, watch out!

Oh, shoot that cat!

Ultimately, Happy is forced to shoot the bobcat...

There's a bobcat!

because it does not back down.

- A bobcat? - A bobcat!

It was very surreal. I've never been

harmed or attacked by an animal before.

And that's the scariest thing I think I've ever experienced,

to be attacked by, by something like that.

She had puncture wounds starting at her calf,

up the back of her thigh, her lower back,

middle back and her shoulders.

And the puncture wounds were from its claws where it literally was

climbing up her.

This video is an example of how you can start out a day like any other,

and then instantly everything could go tragically wrong.

The moaning sound that's emanating from this creature

is terrifying.

It sounds like a housecat on steroids,

if I'm quite honest.

There's a bobcat attacking my wife!

A bobcat!

I cannot believe that

he grabbed this thing with his bare hands,

holding it up and threw it across the yard like he did.

It was incredible.

They both immediately seek medical attention.

And it's a good thing they do.

We didn't know it at the time but we found out later it was a young male,

about 25 to 30 pounds, somewhere in that range, but it had rabies.

It obviously was in a lot of pain and it was sick.

And this is not normal behavior.

Kristi, watch out!

It's really fortunate for this woman that her husband was there

to help and to get this Bobcat away from her

because there is a high probability

that she would have contracted rabies,

but the fact that her husband was there to minimize her contact

with this bobcat is a terrific thing.

Oh, my God! It's a bobcat!

True as that is,

Happy and Kristi also believe that they were being looked out for that morning

by a very special person.

When we left the emergency room that morning,

we were tired, we were overwhelmed, mentally and physically.

We just wanted to go home.

And we got into our vehicle and something was flying around in the car.

It was a bug and I thought, "Oh, great. Now, I'm gonna get stung."

And when it landed on the window of the car, it was a ladybug.

Mmm-hmm.

And I looked at my husband and I said, "There you go."

I said, "We were not alone today."

We lost our five-year-old daughter 15 years ago to a brain tumor,

and she loved ladybugs.

And when ladybugs visit us,

we take that as a sign that she has come to visit us.

Her name was Emily.

And when I saw that ladybug

land on my inside window that morning,

I do not think that was a coincidence.

I don't either.

I don't either.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

And, incredibly, neither Happy nor Kristi have let this experience

ruin their appreciation for wildlife.

Well...

Kristi, watch out!

...for the most part.

I would love to see another bobcat.

I just don't want to see one attacking my wife.

- Okay. - I don't care

if I ever see another one as long as I live and I love animals,

you know, but yeah,

I hope I don't ever see another bobcat again.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Coming up, a skier triggers an avalanche...

that swallows him alive.

As a professional extreme skier,

part of your job description is understanding that anything can happen.

And as such, your life can depend on how prepared you are

for the worst-case scenario.

But, when it comes to an avalanche,

sweeping, freezing, massive, deadly,

even the best preparation might not be enough to save you.

Just ask Julien Lopez.

April 2013, on the Swiss side of Mont Blanc in the Alps.

It's late afternoon,

and extreme skier Julien Lopez

has spent the day with his team getting footage for a new movie.

Hi, this is Julien Lopez, and this is my video.

But the final and most difficult shot of the day

is Julien dropping onto a peak of Mont Blanc.

But Julien is not without his reservations.

And as it turns out,

his body is trying to tell him something.

Because as soon as Julien starts his descent...

...it immediately...

...triggers an avalanche.

Now, in order to survive,

Julien has to race the avalanche down the mountain.

But Julien is only partway down.

And the avalanche is far from over.

This is mind-boggling to see this huge wave

of snow, this avalanche come crashing down on the skier.

Let's not forget, it's like pulverized ice,

and it still has the same density.

So if you get covered in this stuff,

in snow, it's crushing and it's heavy.

Julien is now buried beneath that crushing, heavy snow,

and struggles to stay alive.

When you get trapped inside of there,

there's no way for oxygen, fresh oxygen to make its way

into the confined space that you're at,

so you're most likely going to suffocate very quickly.

But on top of that,

you can't unbury yourself because of the fact

that you have tons of snow sitting on top of you.

And you can become completely disoriented.

You don't know which way up or down is, so you can start digging.

But digging, actually, down.

But, all hope is not lost.

Julien realizes he has one final trick up his sleeve.

And a little bit is just enough...

...for Julien's team to find him.

I think the lesson in this clip

is don't do dangerous things alone.

Whether you're being rescued by a friend.

Whether you're being rescued by strangers.

Whether you're being rescued by a camera crew

that was filming you as you did the stunt,

don't be in these positions alone.

We need each other...

...to survive.

And Julien's own survival

is something he will forever be grateful for.

Coming up...

A first-time hang glider, dangles unharnessed over Switzerland.

Hang gliding...

...one of the most peaceful and exhilarating sports in existence.

Soaring hundreds of feet above the Earth,

it's just you, the sky,

and the incredible views below.

But, despite its name, you don't actually hang from the glider.

Flyers are harnessed in, securely attached to the craft,

leaving your hands free to steer, because let's face it,

if you had to hold your entire bodyweight,

while flying hundreds of feet in the air...

...you wouldn't last for long.

Just ask one man in Switzerland...

Run! Run! Run! Run!

who suddenly found himself...

hanging on for dear life.

October 2018, Interlaken, Switzerland,

Chris Gursky and his wife are on vacation

and have decided to go hang gliding...

for the very first time.

My name is Chris Gursky and I survived what you are about to see.

We'd never hang glided, but where we're going somewhere

my wife digs in deep.

So she saw this on a video, and she's like, "Do you wanna try this?"

Chris is game.

So, they book a session with their instructors

who will take them hang gliding from a mountain

approximately 4,000 feet above the town below.

Chris' wife decides to fly first.

It was just me and my pilot and my wife and her pilot.

So you had to step into the harness,

and they buckled us all up and made sure that it was all, you know, nice and safe.

When she took off, I was just like, "Damn! That is so cool.

I'm next, let's go." You know?

And that's exactly what Chris, who's on the left, and his instructor do.

Yes.

Three, two, one, go! Run! Run! Run!

But right away, something is very, very wrong.

I just kind of shot straight down. And I was like,

"What's going on here?"

And then, I'm just looking and I'm like,

"I'm not attached here."

Look closely.

Chris' harness straps should be clipped securely to the glider,

here, just as the pilot's are.

But they're not.

And Chris is now hanging only by his hands in mid-air.

It surprised the heck out of me.

And I was just looking down saying,

you know, "I'm gonna fall to my death here."

The pilot, realizing Chris could plummet to the ground at any moment,

does his best to help Chris hang on.

But without both hands steering the glider...

We just started going higher.

Given the circumstances here, the weight of Chris,

the grip that he has, the panic I'm sure that's induced

in all the situation going on,

I'd say his odds of survival are pretty slim.

But Chris is determined to survive this.

And holds on to anything and everything available,

including the pilot.

I started on a hand grip on his shoulder,

and then I was at his waist,

and then he's handing me his leg to hold onto.

So I got my hand gripped on just the fabric of the back of his pant leg.

But my left hand, I just had an iron grip on that bar.

There wasn't much left to hold onto after that point.

Imagine having to hang onto something in your house.

And not let go.

Of course, there's no danger in that,

but I bet a lot of people would have fallen before the end of the video,

myself included.

Then, the pilot is somehow able

to bring the glider down closer to the Earth.

I knew my hand wasn't gonna hold on much longer,

it was opening up.

And finally, after nearly three excruciating minutes,

Chris' hold breaks free.

My feet kinda skidded on the ground.

And it ripped my grip free and I tumbled down.

Incredibly, Chris suffers only a broken wrist

and a torn bicep tendon

from holding his bodyweight for so long.

That's absolutely incredible.

The willpower it would take to know that your body is literally tearing apart

and you are still holding on is incomprehensible.

Chris is reunited with his wife and treated for his injuries

at a nearby hospital.

Both grateful for the miraculous outcome.

People always ask me, "Did you see your life flash before your eyes?"

You know, all of that happened after the fact.

How we would handle that? How she would handle that?

How she would tell my son? You know?

Just a lot of deep conversations happened after that.

And, as for how he was able to defy the odds,

and hold on for literally dear life...

I was stubborn, and once I put my mind to something,

I think I can do anything.

So I think that was part of it.

Um...

Maybe there was intervention somewhere.

It wasn't my time to go.

Run! Run! Run! Run!