Robert J. Selfridge, III

Robert J. Selfridge III rescued Ryleigh Krause from drowning, Barnegat Light, New Jersey, August 7, 2022. In the cold, rough water of Barnegat Inlet off Island Beach State Park, Ryleigh, 4, and her mother, 26, were trapped in the cabin of a capsized boat with only an 18-inch air pocket. Selfridge, 58, an off-duty emergency medical technician and volunteer lifeguard, interrupted dinner at home when he overheard a 911 broadcast on his cellphone and responded on a Jet-Ski-type personal watercraft with other rescuers and tried to help right the 23-foot-long boat using towboat lines. When that effort proved fruitless, and as darkness descended and the air pocket in the boat diminished, Selfridge borrowed a mask and dived under the gunwale of the capsized boat and into the submerged compartment, where mother and daughter were perched. Maneuvering in dim light around broken railings and debris, Selfridge secured the child, kicked off the roof of the boat and down into the dark water, emerging on the surface on the side of the boat. The mother immediately followed and swam out to the rear of the boat. Rescuers on Jet-Ski-type personal watercraft then took mother and child to waiting Coast Guard boats. Both were cold but recovered without treatment. Selfridge suffered a broken finger but was otherwise unhurt.