Teen Lifeguard Ryder Williams Details July 25 Rescue of 10-Year-Old as Rip Current Danger Persists
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 1
Teen Lifeguard Ryder Williams Details July 25 Rescue of 10-Year-Old as Rip Current Danger Persists
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 1
Summary
Ryder Williams, 16, appeared in a California State Parks video on Aug. 1 to recount how he sprinted from his tower and reached 10-year-old Nathaniel during the July 25 rescue at Seabright State Beach.
Williams said he radioed the emergency, entered the water with a rescue buoy and waved off bystanders because the surf was too dangerous; fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen then helped bring both boy and rescuer ashore.
Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, said the boy lost consciousness and likely had only seconds left, adding that Nathaniel is still recovering in California.
The rescue went viral as hazardous surf remained a wider concern: the National Weather Service warned of life-threatening rip currents this week, and Los Angeles County lifeguards performed nearly 2,000 water rescues on July 25 and 26.