A 20-year-old delivery driver has died after jumping into a rip current to rescue a father and son from drowning, with friends later discovering a heartbreaking note on his phone revealing his only wishes for 2026 were to save enough money to buy his father a minivan.
Jin Xiaowu was walking along a riverbank in Guizhou, China, with his colleague Wang Fangyang when they heard cries for help from the water. A father and his son had accidentally stepped into deep water and been caught by a powerful current, leaving them fighting for their lives. Jin and his colleague immediately jumped in to help. Both the father and son were pulled to safety and survived.
But the effort of the rescue proved fatal. Exhausted from saving the pair, Jin was pulled under by the rip current and drowned.
After his death, a friend found a note saved on Jin’s phone revealing his goals for the year. He had written just two wishes: to save 20,000 yuan — around £2,230 — and to buy his father a minivan. Friends said he had been sending them photos of minivans in the weeks before his death and had spoken openly about his dream of surprising his father with one. He had also recently used his delivery driver earnings to buy his mother a new phone.
Those who knew him described Jin as a selfless, hardworking young man devoted to his family. He was 20 years old.
