NH Teen Helps Save W. Va. Boy After Witnessing ATV Accident on TikTok

A New Hampshire teenager is credited with saving a life 800 miles away.

Like most 13-year-olds, Caden Cotnoir spends plenty of time on social media. On Sunday, his screen time took an unexpected turn.

He was on TikTok watching 12-year-old Trent Jarrett on a live four-wheeling adventure at his home in West Virginia when he saw Jarrett dump his ATV and start screaming.

In the video sent to NBC10 Boston from Cotnoir's family, you can hear Jarrett gasping for air for several minutes.

"I can barely breathe, somebody call 911," you hear the West Virginia boy say.

"That was probably the hardest part, to listen to him just praying someone was there to help him," Cotnoir said.

As soon as Jarrett starting repeating a 10-digit phone number, Cotnoir jumped into action.

"That's when I knew we could do something about it," he said.

He brought his phone to his mom and his stepfather, who happens to be the police chief where they live in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.

"We were able to finally write down this number and make a phone call," said Chief Matthew Currier.

They reached the boy's family and within 20 minutes. They say Jarrett's parents found him on a trail, trapped under his ATV. He was struggling to breath, but he was otherwise uninjured.

"He called me back later that night and just kept thanking me and said he wanted to give me all his money, but I said I wasn't going to take it," Cotnoir said.

He and his family are thankful, too, grateful that TikTok connected the boys as the clock was ticking for Jarrett.

"Everything lined up just so," Currier said. "Someone was watching out and had Caden in the right place, and it worked out perfect."

"I mean, I am just happy that I could help," Cotnoir said. "That's all."

Cotnoir says he follows Jarrett because they both love four-wheeling, and hunting and fishing.

They'd never spoken over the phone before, but Cotnoir says they've been in touch several times since the incident over the weekend.