‘The worst nightmare you've ever had': Jonestown man recounts saving family from flood

Yahoo

12-07-2025

JONESTOWN (KXAN) – As floodwaters rapidly rose overnight across Central Texas, one man's instincts may have saved a family's life.
Unable to sleep, Matthew Crowder showed up to work early at Texas Paintball, on the banks of Big Sandy Creek in Jonestown. Realizing they wouldn't be opening for the day, he walked the property, snapping photos of the rising water.
As he was leaving, a gut feeling made him turn back—and that's when he saw floodwater edging dangerously close to a nearby home.
'And then all of a sudden, just within 30 seconds, the people's front yard was starting to take on water, pretty bad,' Crowder added. He decided to start shouting to get their attention. That's when he saw a child with a dog exit the home. Moments later, his mother followed.
He said she appeared in shock, so he took control, telling her 'make sure everyone's awake, get your head count, and let's make a plan.' He also called 911.
As he waited for first responders, the water rose to waist-high, making it tough for children to get their footing, one briefly being swept away a short distance. Crowder recounts grabbing children, four of them, all under 12 years old, helping get them to safety. Crowder said that's when the power cut out.
'To be in that water and listening to the thunder, the loud, you know, water, the trees, hearing the roots come up off the trees and buildings crashing and things flying down the creek, and, you know, everyone, kind of yelling and, you know, screaming, trying to find who's where and stuff. It was definitely like surreal,' Crowder said.
He lost his footing, water carrying him 20 feet down the road. Despite that, he got back on his feet and helped the mother, her children, their grandfather, and two dogs to safety.
'It's kind of like, you know, the worst nightmare you've ever had, and and just kind of realizing that in the moment is, is something that, if you haven't gone through it, it's really kind of hard to comprehend,' Crowder said.
Among the children was a 12-year-old friend staying over for a sleepover. His mother later contacted KXAN, saying Crowder saved her son's life.
Chrissy Eliashar recounted the moment the good Samaritan rescued her and her family when the unthinkable happened — floodwaters was slowly rushing into their Jonestown home in the early morning on July 5.
'At 4 a.m. my son Benny comes running and tells me, 'Somebody is screaming outside and the dogs are barking,'' Eliashar said. 'And sure enough we run to the front door, open it and there's a person screaming for us to get out of the house. Our front yard was a rushing river.'
But despite the rushing waters, Crowder continued to help the family of five and their dogs to safety.
When they attempted to leave the house the backyard was unfortunately 'already a lake,' Eliashar described. So, with five kids and their dogs, they escaped through the front yard, which by that point was already a river, Eliashar said.
'These guys were really, really brave,' Eliashar said, referencing the kids.
In that moment of fighting to get to safety, Eliashar said it felt like the time was going second-by-second. 'It felt like a minute,' said 12-year-old Daniel Polner, the friend staying over at the Eliashar family's house.
Polner said the adrenaline was what kept them going. 'You're just thinking get out of there,' Polner said.
As for the good Samaritan, Crowder, Eliashar said she is grateful for him. 'He was in the right place and the right time. He was being a good leader,' Eliashar said. In the moment of panic he was the voice that guided all of them to safety, she said.
Having gone through this stressful and scary experience, the family would like to remind others to listen to evacuations and flash floods because it could potentially be life-threatening or dangerous.
According to a fundraising effort on GoFundMe, the Eliashar family lost their home, car and belongings. They had no flood insurance and only got away with the clothes on their backs.
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