Jacob Ross

Jacob Ross saved a woman from drowning, Orange Beach, Alabama, May 13, 2023. A woman struggled to swim about 90 feet from shore amid the fast-moving water of Perdido Pass channel. Jacob Ross, 19, college student, was on the beach nearby when he heard a bystander call out that someone needed help in the water. Ross, who was with his female partner on the beach, immediately ran about 35 feet to the water’s edge, then took four bounding steps, covering about 15 feet, before swimming about 75 feet to the woman. He then instructed her to wrap her arms and legs around his torso and waist. With the woman hanging onto the right side of his body, he swam using his left arm and both legs about 45 feet parallel to the beach to calmer water. Ross then swam 75 feet back toward shore to wadable water, where he cradled the woman and carried her about 15 feet to safety on shore, where she then recovered for about 30 minutes. The woman had swallowed water, but she was otherwise unharmed. Ross suffered no ill effects.