Santee Man Wins Heroism Medal After Rescuing Girl Swept Offshore

SANTEE, CA — On May 14, 2020, Neil Andrew Garrett of Santee noticed an unconscious girl floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

The girl, 10, was about 375 feet from shore. And ocean conditions were rough — the 62-degree water was turbulent, with large and frequent waves and a strong rip current, officials said.

But that didn't stop Garrett, a 39-year-old aviation electrician, from rescuing the girl.

Now, he's been awarded a Carnegie Medal for civilian heroism.

According to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission website, Garrett hugged the girl to him with one arm, and began sidestroking back toward shore. But they were repeatedly struck and submerged by waves, and at one point Garret lost his grip on the girl — but quickly recovered it.

Eventually, a surfer approached them. Garrett and the surfer placed the girl on the surfboard and the surfer moved her to shore while Garrett swam behind them, officials said.

"The girl was revived on shore and taken to a hospital," the website reads. "Garrett was nearly exhausted after the rescue, but both of them recovered."

Garrett and 16 others were awarded this year's Carnegie Medal, which its website called "North America's highest honor for civilian heroism." The medal is given to civilians who enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save others' lives, according to the website.

Each winner — or their survivors, if they've died — will receive a financial grant, officials said.

In total, 10,273 Carnegie Medals have been awarded since the Fund's inception in 1904.

"Throughout the more than 117 years since the Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, more than $43 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance," officials said in a news release.