Stephen D. Rhodes

Stephen D. Rhodes rescued Jacqueline Toledo from drowning, Grand Isle, Louisiana, May 7, 2022. Jacqueline, 7, was unconscious beneath a fishing vessel that had capsized while carrying nine passengers, including Jacqueline, off the coast of Grand Isle Beach. Rhodes, 51, fish and wildlife enforcement agent, was on duty at the beach when he was informed of the overturned boat. Rhodes piloted his patrol boat to the scene. Arriving, he found 8 of the passengers atop the hull, telling him the girl was missing. Having positioned the boat within a foot of the overturned vessel, he requested that a nearby boater maintain the patrol boat’s position so that he could safely enter the water. Rhodes removed his ballistic vest, duty belt, and firearm before entering the water feet first. Rhodes swam about 7 feet to the stern of the overturned boat. He submerged once and searched for Jacqueline by sweeping his right arm out in front of himself. He submerged again, hoping that he could brace himself against the boat while walking beneath it, but the water was too deep. Unable to locate her, he resurfaced. Rhodes grasped the gunwale of the boat, pulled his knees toward the interior hull of the boat, and began extending his legs in an attempt to locate the girl. He moved horizontally along the side of the boat for about 14 feet before he felt something brush his boot. Surmising that it might be Jacqueline, Rhodes prepared himself to submerge by taking several breaths. He dived and swam about 4 feet to Jacqueline, grasped her, and towed her to the surface. The boater crossed the hull of the overturned vessel and grasped Jacqueline from Rhodes before carrying her onto Rhodes’s patrol boat. Rhodes swam about 20 feet back to his patrol boat, exited the water, and performed CPR on Jacqueline. She was resuscitated, and Rhodes drove the boat to a nearby marina, where first responders transported her to the hospital. Jacqueline inhaled salt water; she recovered. Rhodes was unharmed.