Rescuer refutes rumor of theft

An American man who helped save a drowning woman from the Huangpu River has denied widely spread online rumors that bystanders stole his belongings during the rescue, local media reported Thursday.

In an interview with the Shanghai Television Station (STV), the unidentified rescuer said that nothing had been stolen.

The rescue had already garnered some attention online Wednesday when an anonymous microblogger posted that he or she saw onlookers steal the belonging that the American man left on the riverbank before he jumped into the water, according to a screenshot of the original post.

The post had been deleted by Thursday, but not before it had been forwarded and quoted by several online media outlets and forums, including kdslife.com, a forum dedicated to local news and events.

The American man told STV that he heard people screaming for help while he was jogging on the Bund.

He said both he and a Chinese man jumped into the river to save the woman. Together, they brought her back to the riverbank, where they were later helped up by police.

The American man has been living in Shanghai for 12 years. He currently works as a representative for a Hong Kong-based trading company.

According to a report in the People's Daily, local police found no evidence of theft when they examined the surveillance camera footage in the area.

Since June, the Ministry of Public Security launched a countrywide campaign against online rumors. Under the campaign, someone who posts false information that is viewed more than 5,000 times or reposted more than 500 times can face libel charges.