Man Jumps La Brea Tar Pits To Rescue Dog

In June 1951 a Los Angeles man, Jack Young, jumped into the La Brea Tar Pits to try to rescue a dog, newspapers reported; social media posts in January 2026 revived the tale but misnamed him as 'Grady Johnson.' The widely shared photograph did not show that rescue but a February 1951 syrup-and-feathers assault of broker Charles S. Smith, and the dog reportedly died en route to a shelter.