A New York man was rescued this weekend after he tried to swim from New York harbor to Liberty Island, all because God told him to do it.

Witnesses say he stripped down to his swim trunks, dove into the cold water and began his 3/4-mile journey.

Roughly 45 minutes later, he began struggling. That's when someone called 911.

When rescuers showed up in a small boat, the 29-year-old man refused to hop aboard, claiming he'd rather die in the waters because, again, God told him to swim to Liberty Island.

Despite initially fighting the help, he wound up inside the boat and was taken to Jersey City Medical center for psychiatric evaluation.

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