Dramatic video shows the moment a man desperately clinging to a wall after being swept into the rushing waters of the Los Angeles River was rescued by a heroic first responder suspended from a helicopter.

Los Angeles Fire Department ground and air crews responded to the rain-swollen river south of Washington Blvd. in the Boyle Heights neighborhood around 5 p.m. Wednesday after getting a report about a person in distress.

Heart-pounding aerial footage shot by KTLA’s Sky5 captured the man desperately holding onto a “concrete sheer wall” as he waited to be pulled up by an LAFD member who was lowered on a cable from a helicopter.

Muddy waters are seen in the video churning all around the stranded man following recent rainstorms that drenched parts of the California and caused rivers to rise.

The rescuer struggles for several minutes to reach the terrified victim due to high winds causing him to be blown off course.

Finally, the LAFD first responder is able to grab hold of the man and attach a hoist to his waterlogged body.

After a few tense moments, during which both men ended up in the fast-moving water up to their chests, they were pulled to safety by the LAFD helicopter hovering overhead.

The unnamed man was transported to LAC+USC Medical Center to be treated for hypothermia, but no other injuries were reported.  

It was not immediately known how he wound up in the river, or how long he had spent in the frigid water awaiting rescue.