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A 16-year-old lifeguard whose daring rescue of a 10-year-old on Saturday went viral finally spoke out about the harrowing save in a Wednesday statement.
Ryder Williams, the teen hero whose daring rescue of a young boy at Santa Cruz Beach on Saturday captivated the nation, described the episode in a statement released by his employer, California State Parks.
“I was at the waterline 15 yards downcoast of Tower 2 making a safety contact when I looked up and saw a child about 20 (yards) up from the tower lose his footing in ankle deep water,” the statement opened.
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“I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid. I put my fins on my wrist, popped my buoy and entered the water to get ahold of the child. Due to the volatility of the water, I was unable to tube up the victim. After the first wave I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard. There were two to three more waves before lifeguard Aaron Bohnen entered the water to help me. There were bystanders who jumped in to try to help, and I yelled at them all to get back to shore,” Williams’ statement continued.
“Once Bohnen and I got the kid to shore I was instructed to get the med bag from Bohnen’s unit and we assessed the child. Shortly after, I got back into my tower where I returned to provide lifeguard services for the rest of my shift,” he continued.
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“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely. This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day,” Williams’ statement concluded.
Williams’ heroics earned him national attention, praise and even an invitation to the White House.
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“We’re going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor. Very brave, he deserves it!” the White House wrote in an X post attributed to President Donald Trump.
Williams’ rescue was one of 34 rescues in the Santa Cruz district over the weekend, California State Parks said in a statement obtained by FOX 2 KTVU.
“All California State Park lifeguard towers were staffed, there were 6 units on, a two-person rescue water craft team, three permanent lifeguard units, and a lifeguard supervisor working in Pajaro Coast,” California State Parks also said of the weekend.
The 10-year-old boy Williams rescued was identified by KTVU as being named Nathaniel. His father, Sumit Rai, praised Williams’ efforts in an interview with KTVU.
“It was a remarkable effort to bring him back to shore. I mean Ryder fought the sea,” he told the outlet.
“It’s really hard to fight that, and my son was unconscious. He weighs about 100 pounds, and he was limp, so that’s basically dead weight that he had to carry and hold onto to pull back to shore,” he continued.
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“It’s so easy to let go, and he knew that if he lets go then he’s gonna basically just float away, and he’s gone. That’s the end of it, and he would have died,” Rai concluded.
Fox News Digital contacted California State Parks for comment and additional information.
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