Steve Fenton helped to save Brian Mendoza from drowning, Keansburg, New Jersey, June 6, 2010. Brian, 11, was treading water in Raritan Bay of the Atlantic Ocean after his inflatable raft was blown away from the beach. A man from shore took a one-person kayak into the choppy water to look for him but could not find him. Another man from shore, Fenton, 37, carpenter, waded and swam out to the kayak and boarded it. Although he had never used a kayak, Fenton paddled farther out in search of Brian. Finding him a good distance into the bay, Fenton took Brian aboard the kayak and began to paddle back to shore. His progress was slowed by his having to go against the wind and current, and about halfway back, the kayak rolled, throwing both Fenton and Brian into the bay. A boater who was alerted responded and pulled Brian aboard, but Fenton by then lacked the strength to aid in his own rescue. The crew of a responding Coast Guard boat took him aboard and transferred him to the other boat. Brian and Fenton were returned to shore uninjured. Fenton recovered from exhaustion within a few days.
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83233-9463