Umpire Saves Boy, 7, From Dust Devil During FL Youth Baseball Game

JACKSONVILLE, FL — A teenage umpire came to the rescue last weekend after a 7-year-old baseball player was trapped in a rogue dust devil that formed during a youth game at the Fort Caroline Athletic Association baseball field in Jacksonville, according to reports.

In a video shared with WJXT in Jacksonville, Bauer Zoya, a catcher for the Ponte Vedra Sharks, was unexpectedly caught in the short-lived cyclone when it developed over home plate during a game between the Sharks and the Fort Caroline Athletic Association Indians.

"I was scared and I got afraid if someone would pull me out," Zoya told WJXT.

That's when 17-year-old umpire Aidan Wiles sprang into action, scooping up Zoya and placing him safely on the sidelines, WJXT reported.

"I've never seen anything like that my whole entire life, on or off the field," Wiles told WTLV.

He continued, "At first, I was freaked out myself until I saw (Zoya) trapped in it. So, I decided to run in there and grab him out of it."

Zoya's dad, Brian Zoya, told WJXT he's grateful for Wiles' quick thinking.

"A kid that just had the presence in mind to do that, it's just special to see," Brian Zoya said. "It was pretty cool to see yesterday. He had great parents raising him."

According to the National Weather Service, a dust devil is a common wind phenomenon worldwide. Dust devils are dust-filled vortices created by strong surface heating and are generally smaller and less intense than a tornado, reaching an average height of approximately 500 to 1000 feet.

In most locations, dust devils typically last only a few minutes before dissipating; however, wind speeds in larger dust devils can reach 60 mph or more and cause damage to smaller structures.