ROCKLAND, NY – Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick recently presented Liberty Medals to Edwin Santa Cruz and Carlos Ramiro Yaque, two local heroes who saved the life of a woman who almost drowned in a pool near where the men had been working.
On a hot summer afternoon, a woman went to cool off in someone’s backyard swimming pool. Alarmingly, she found herself in the deep end, was unable to stay afloat, and sank to the bottom of the pool. A homeowner jumped in to rescue her but was unable to lift her from the bottom of the pool. Thankfully, Carlos Ramiro Yaque and Edwin A. Santa Cruz were performing landscaping work in the nearby backyard. Seeing the dire situation, they quickly entered the pool area, where one man immediately jumped into the pool and rescued the drowning woman. Both men worked together to lift the woman out of the water and began performing first aid and CPR as others present called for EMS.
Senator Reichlin-Melnick said, “I am proud to present these two men with New York State Liberty Medals. This is the highest honor that a Senator can bestow. When Edwin and Carlos realized someone was in serious distress, they did not hesitate to take brave, lifesaving action. Our community is stronger and safer because of them.”
Edwin A. Santa Cruz, the man who jumped into the pool and pulled the woman from the bottom, had no lifesaving training. He said, “This was the first time I’d done anything like this. The kids who were in the pool with her were screaming and crying, and that’s what got my attention. I felt like I did what I had to do.”
Liberty Medals include a resolution that will be voted on by the entire New York State Senate. Recipients of this award must have demonstrated heroic, extraordinary action in service of others.