MINOT, N.D. (KMOT/Gray News) – A pair of teenagers are being honored for helping save a woman while out snowmobiling.
Brennan Asmundson and Owen Inman enjoy playing sports, snowmobiling and trap shooting. It was their love for the outdoors that led to some heroics on New Year’s Day.
“I knew we had to act in that situation,” Inman said.
The teens were snowmobiling in a rural area of North Dakota when they noticed a vehicle stuck in the snow.
“I saw him [Inman] roll by kind of slow and check in the car and I thought, ‘God, something must be going on,’” Asmundson said.
The teenagers then sprung into action.
“Fear or panic couldn’t set in because we were the responding force there,” Inman said.
Asmundson and Inman had found Faye Schaefer. Schaefer had gone missing the night before, prompting a Silver Alert. Schaefer’s vehicle had run out of gas.
Minot police officer Jordan Wilkes was at Schaefer’s home when he got the call the teens found her.
“Seventeen and 18 years old doing what a lot of people probably wouldn’t,” Wilkes said. “I think that’s gonna impact them for the rest of their future and stand as a witness of who they are.”
Law enforcement honored Inman and Asmundson Wednesday with an Outstanding Citizen award. Schaefer and her family were present.
Berthold/Carpio Police Chief Al Schmidt said he’s watched the boys grow up and was proud to present them with the award.
“Makes me feel proud that I may have had a small influence in their life, but that they just acted without thinking,” Schmidt said.
Inman said they were planning to take a different route that day, but fate had other plans. A truck blocking their original route put them on the path to finding Schaefer.
“It was a real God moment there, I mean God put that truck there, so we went the long way around. I thought, ‘Wow, this is kind of an inconvenience for us’ at the time, but it turned out to be a miracle,” Inman said.
Asmundson said he didn’t expect his small act to be so big.
“I don’t feel we really deserve any of this, but it’s awesome we were able to help,” Asmundson said.
Schaefer was treated for possible hypothermia and is back with family.
Both Inman and Asmundson said they will be paying closer attention to Silver Alerts and hope others do too.
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