A MAN was forced to leap into a freezing Dublin canal to escape a knife-wielding thug.
Pete Farrell was walking along the Royal Canal on Sunday night when he was approached by a man on a bike and asked if he wanted to buy some drugs.
When he said no, the man brandished a knife and demanded Pete empty his pockets.
At this point, Pete bravely jumped into the canal and swam for his life.
He spoke to RTÉ Radio One's Liveline about the terrifying ordeal.
"I was terrified in the water because he was like 'I’m going to kill you', and his voice had proper fury," Pete told RTÉ's Joe Duffy.
"So I was thinking he might either have an accomplice on the far side with a knife or even a gun, or he might sprint around and get me on the other side."
Today @joeliveline spoke with Pete Farrell who had to jump into the canal in Dublin and swim to safety when he was threatened at knife point. @rteliveline pic.twitter.com/Nnc45GZHlm
— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) October 11, 2021
Luckily, Pete managed to get to the other side safely and managed to escape.
His waterproof phone survived the swim but he ended up losing his keys.
"I got home and at first, I was like: 'Will I call the police? Ah no I’m fine'," Pete added.
"But then I was like… if that had been someone small or someone who was incapacitated, you know?"
Admirably, Pete said he sympathises with the mugger, insisting that trying to rob people late at night by the canal is "no way to live".
He added that he hopes the mugger finds "some kind of help."
