Hero teen lifeguard speaks out about viral rescue of 10-year-old boy
The 16-year-old lifeguard who was captured on camera pulling a young boy to the shore off the coast of California over the weekend is speaking out for the first time.
Ryder Williams, a lifeguard at Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, said he jumped into the ocean on July 25 when he saw a young boy lose his footing in ankle-deep water.
"I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid," Ryder said in a statement shared Wednesday by California State Parks. "I put my fins on my wrist, popped my buoy and entered the water to get ahold of the child."
Video of the rescue captured by a bystander shows Ryder grabbing the boy, later identified as a 10-year-old named Nathaniel, and bringing him to shore as huge waves overtake them again and again.
In his statement Wednesday, Ryder said he saw bystanders on the beach entering the water to try to help him, but he said he waved them away because the waves were so dangerous. Ultimately, a fellow lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen, jumped in the water and helped pull both Ryder and Nathaniel safely to shore.
"Shortly after, I got back into my tower where I returned to provide lifeguard services for the rest of my shift," Ryder said.
The 16-year-old said he was "grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely."
"This is my job and I love what I do," he added. "I'm thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day."
Nathaniel's father, Sumit Rai, told ABC San Francisco station KGO-TV on Wednesday that his son was vacationing in California with his mother and sister when the rescue occurred. Rai said he saw the rescue for the first time watching the now-viral video.
"If I was watching that video, I wasn't sure if he'll make it, if I hadn't seen the end of it. And I wasn't sure, honestly, if the lifeguard would make it out with those conditions," Rai said. "I'm just so grateful that Ryder and others were there to help pull him out and save his life. Otherwise, I can't imagine what life would look like today."
Rai added that Nathanial lost consciousness during the incident, saying, "Another two or three seconds, I don't think my son would have made it."
Rai then thanked Ryder and the other lifeguards who came to his son's rescue.
"God bless them, and, you know, thank you," he said. "I cannot express sufficient gratitude."
Nathaniel is still in California and is recovering, according to Rai.
The National Weather Service issued a warning this week for beachgoers on the West Coast to be on high alert for life-threatening rip currents and hazardous ocean conditions.
Nearly 2,000 water rescues were performed in Los Angeles County alone on July 25 and 26, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division.
