Teen rescued from ravine: ‘I was just praying'

CONWAY, Pa. — A teenager who was rescued from a ravine in Beaver County Monday night talked to Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz on Wednesday as he continue to recover.

Authorities said 16-year-old Jerome Petukauskas was trimming his neighbor’s front lawn when he slipped and fell into a 75-foot ravine.

“I was thinking on the way down, ‘If I die now, I had a good life,’” Petukauskas said.

After several hours, emergency crews successfully rescued Petukauskas and rushed him to Children’s Hospital.

“It takes remarkable effort, that's why we called for assistance.  We had people over the hillside very quickly.  When we got on scene, we called for support from Baden, and we worked as a team.  We got the job complete,” Conway Fire Department Chief Bobby Chartovich said.

Petukauskas said he wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him.

“I was just praying the whole time, ‘Please God, let me make it,’” Petukauskas said.

The rescuers had to go down a different hillside to rescue the boy because the one he fell down was too steep.

“They told me it was about 80 feet that I dropped. No one could believe that I didn’t break any bones,” Petukauskas said.

Friends and neighbors told Channel 11’s Timyka Artist that Petukauskas is a very nice boy who often helps others.

“A little after 7, one of our parishioners called and said J.P. is the one who was injured and taken to the hospital. So certainly we were very concerned,” Petukauskas’ priest at the Our Lady Of Peace Church said.

Petukauskas is an altar server at the church and does odd jobs for people to raise money for the mission team.

Everyone involved said they’re happy Petukauskas didn’t suffer any serious injuries.

WPXI