Pittsburg family rescues fawn while boating on Lake of the Pines, reunites it with its mother

NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) - Jessica Freitas of Pittsburg had just began a day of boating with about 10 other friends and family members Saturday when the group spotted a small fawn in the frigid waters of Lake of the Pines, and audibly in distress.

The group didn't hesitate, immediately turning their boat around to rescue the fawn. Its mother was standing on the shore nearby, watching, but unable to rescue its fawn, which fell down a small embankement into the lake. 

The depth of the water was preventing the fawn from getting a footing to get out of the water, it was essentially treading water, and continued crying out for help.

With a smartphone recording it all, the group slowly moved their boat towards the fawn, then Jesse Freitas reached into the water and grabbed it. The crys continued as Freitas held it, and another family member grabbed a towel to dry it off and warm it up.

With the mother standing nearby, the group then reunited the two. 

"When we set the fawn on the shore, we noticed the fawn was barely able to walk," said Jessica Freitas. "That water was freezing."

Jessica says she and her family believes they saw same deer and fawn in that area one day earlier. The two were among several other pregnant or newborn deer and fawns in the area.

The Freitas' make boating trips to Lake of the Pines every so often, but this trip will be one they'll never forget.

"I'm glad the kids were there to witness this. It was incredible," Jessica Freitas told KTVU on Sunday,