WASHINGTON (TNND) — A teen lifeguard being hailed a hero for risking his life to save a 10-year-old boy from rough waves at a California beach will meet with President Donald Trump on Monday.
16-year-old Ryder Williams received an invitation to the Oval Office at 1 p.m. EST after saving the boy at Seabright State Beach on July 25.
The daring rescue caught the eye of Trump’s son Eric before Trump himself issued the official White House invitation for Williams to receive a “high civilian honor.”
Video of the dramatic rescue went viral on social media, showing Williams pulling the struggling boy from the ocean as dangerous surf conditions triggered dozens of rescues along the California coast.
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!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a recent interview shared on social media, Williams described the rescue in detail, explaining why he went after 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai.
As I grab the child, he goes limp, so I’m thinking about if he’s unconscious or not, that I really need to go in,” Williams said.
Williams said he was unable to pull the boy out because he was limp and the waves were pushing hard.
“The whole time I was thinking, ‘I just need to hold my position until my partner can get here because I’m not going to be able to get him out on my own,'” Williams explained.
Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai, told The California Post that Williams’ quick thinking saved his son’s life.
Gratefully, he’s alive. It’s a miracle; I’m so grateful to that lifeguard, Ryder,” Rai told the outlet. “Two more seconds he gets thrown another 15–20 feet,” Rai added. “You can’t see him, let alone rescue him.”
The rescue happened at Seabright State Beach near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and was captured on video by Scott Vander Dussen.
Vander Dussen said conditions appeared to change rapidly before the boy was overpowered by the waves and swept farther into the water.
A second lifeguard joined the rescue, and together they were able to bring the boy safely back to shore. Everyone involved made it out of the water safely.
The rescue was one of about 25 performed by Santa Cruz lifeguards Saturday as massive swells pounded the California coast, Santa Cruz State Parks lifeguard supervisor Byran Kine told CBS News.
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The National News Desk’s Alexx Altman-Devilbiss contributed to this report.
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