The family of a man who died after jumping into the Thames to save a woman who had fallen from London Bridge have paid tribute to their “hero”.
Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, 20, known as Jimi, reportedly was one of two men who entered the water at 00:10 BST on Saturday after spotting the woman fall.
The coastguard and the Met Police’s marine unit rescued the woman and one of the men.
A body, thought to be Mr Olubunmi-Adewole’s, was found six hours later.
Formal identification has not yet taken place.
His father Michael Adewola, 63, told the Sun newspaper that his son deserved a medal for the bravery he showed by diving into the river to try to save the woman.
“He is a very unique and angelic soul, and I am proud of him, so proud, and I want the world to know he is the deepest and most wonderful man,” Mr Adewola said.
He added: “He is a hero, and always will be. I can’t bring him back but I want him to be remembered forever for what he did. It was just like him to want to always try and help others.”
Mr Olubunmi-Adewole was with a friend, Bernard, when they heard a woman had fallen into the Thames.
Bernard told Sky News they could hear the woman screaming “help me, help me, I’m gonna die”.
“Instantly Jimi looked at me and I said, ‘all right, we can look for her’. But we couldn’t see her, it was pitch black.”
Police have not said how the woman fell into the river.
“The best of us”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted Mr Olubunmi-Adewole “was the best of us”.
“A true hero of our city who gave his life trying to save another,” he wrote.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time of tragic loss.”
Athenlay Football Club in south-east London, which Mr Olubunmi-Adewole was a member of, held a minute’s silence at all of their matches on Sunday.
Tony Underwood, from the club, later tweeted: “Saw my first swallow of the summer yesterday. Hope his family can also see his soul now as a beacon of warmth and hope for us all. RIP #JimiTheHero.”
