Stamford Lifeguard To Be Honored as Water Safety Hero

A Stamford lifeguard is one of several local heroes who will be honored Friday at the American Red Cross Connecticut Chapter’s Heroes Breakfast.

The Heroes Breakfast will be held at the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa and will be emceed by News 12 Connecticut News Director and anchor Tom Appleby.

Receving the Water Hero Award is 19-year-old lifeguard Brenda Morataya. Her lifeguard training and skills saved a swimmer’s life. Morataya, a second-year business student at UConn-Stamford and aspiring prosecutor, was working as a lifeguard at Stamford’s Cummings Beach last August when she pulled a drowning 16-year-old New Jersey resident from the water.

Late in the afternoon of Aug. 6, Morataya noticed a teen bobbing in the water offshore. A story in the Stamford Daily Voice reported that the teen, not a strong swimmer, had been spotted by his younger brother who was swimming toward him when Morataya, not yet sure of any danger, said her training told her to investigate the situation and she entered the water. She soon learned the swimmer was in distress and told the Stamford Daily Voice, “I did what I had to do. I just did what my natural instinct was.”

Morataya reached the boy, who was disoriented and breathing with difficulty due to the amount of water he had swallowed. Morataya reached under the teen’s arms and brought him to shore. Two other lifeguards, Richard Glass and Leann Moy, helped in the rescue. The teen was rushed to Stamford Hospital where he received care and has since recovered.

Other heroes to be honored Friday include:

• Workplace Hero - GE
• Military Hero - Alfred Meadows of Huntington
• Life Saving Heroes – David Ellis, Ian Chasnow, Joseph Bairaktaris Jr., Town of Westport employees.
• Community Resilience Hero – City of Norwalk
• Spirit of the Red Cross – Echo Hose Hook and Ladder Company 1 of Shelton.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Stamford Mayor R. Martin, Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling, Easton First Selectman Adam Dunsby, Trumbull First Selectman Timothy Herbst, and Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti were scheduled to attend the program.

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Photo: Brenda Morataya. Credit: American Red Cross.