A boy was rescued by a bystander after he was swept away in a California riverbed, officials said.

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The boy got too close to the water’s edge March 12 and ended up ”approximately half a mile down the Santa Ana riverbed,” according to a Twitter post by Orange County Fire Authority.

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Captain Thanh Nguyen said the boy was playing with two other children at the time, according to The Press-Enterprise.

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His father rushed into the water, trying to save his son but wasn’t able to grab him, officials said.

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Another relative joined the boy’s dad in the rescue mission, but they were both swept away, according to The Press-Enterprise. They were able to swim back to shore.

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It wasn’t until a bystander saw the boy floating that they “jumped in” and were “able to rescue the boy,” according to the fire authority.

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Fire personnel got a call at about 2:05 p.m., and a rescue team was dispatched and found the boy and his rescuer, officials said.

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The boy was treated by fire officials and taken to a local hospital in stable condition, officials said.

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Officials urge the public to remember that despite the break from rain, “it doesn’t take a lot of water to wash people downriver.”

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Orange County is about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

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