A 16-year-old lifeguard who refused to let go of a drowning child as violent waves swallowed them both is getting a hero’s invitation from President Donald Trump.
Trump said Tuesday that he wants the young rescuer, identified on social media as Ryder, brought to the White House with his family and possibly the boy he saved.
“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,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “Very brave, he deserves it!”
The invitation followed the release of heart-stopping video from Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz, California.
A boy believed to be about 10 years old was swept into heavy surf Saturday after the waves suddenly intensified. Witness Scott Vander Dussen said the change happened almost instantly.
“It caught a lot of people off-guard,” Vander Dussen told NBC Bay Area.
“Unfortunately, this young man was overwhelmed and swept out in just a moment’s time.”
Then Ryder went in.
The rookie lifeguard charged through the surf and reached the child as one punishing wave after another crashed over them.
Video shows the teenager lifting his head for quick breaths before ducking beneath each breaker. Every time he resurfaced, he still had the boy.
Beachgoers tried to help but were repeatedly driven back by the water. A second lifeguard eventually reached the pair, and other rescuers helped bring them ashore.
The struggle lasted about two minutes, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Witnesses said it felt much longer.
Vander Dussen said the entire beach seemed to stop as Ryder ran toward the danger.
“I saw the lifeguard just run straight out into the water, and, you know, he dove in, setting fear aside,” he told ABC7.
The boy was evaluated by paramedics and released to his parents. Vander Dussen believes the outcome would have been very different without the lifeguards.
“I’m certain if the lifeguards weren’t there, he wouldn’t have gone home that night,” he said.
Officials have not publicly confirmed the teenager’s full identity. A woman who identified herself as his mother said his first name is Ryder and encouraged supporters to donate to a local Junior Guards program instead of sending him gifts.
https://t.co/C80CekPIUk pic.twitter.com/JA5YBREmdg
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 28, 2026
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