Central Jersey University Grad Called “American Hero” After Saving Lives in Texas Flood

A university in Central Jersey is praising one of its own for saving lives in the devastating Guadalupe River flood in Central Texas over the 4th of July weekend.

Texas flood hero is a Rider University graduate

Rider University in Lawrence Township revealed that Scott Ruskan, a Warren County, NJ native and U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer and petty officer, graduated with the Class of 2021. Ruskan is credited with saving the lives of nearly 200 people in his first official mission in that role.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called Ruskan an "American Hero."

At the time of the flooding, Ruskan was stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ruskan told Good Morning America that a helicopter ride to the affected area would normally take about an hour, but with the dangerous weather, it took almost eight hours instead.

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Ruskan and crew rescued girls from Camp Mystic

Ruskan and the rest of his four-man crew landed at Camp Mystic, the all-girls camp in the hard-hit area. Ruskan was the only triage coordinator there. The crew rescued 165 people. 

Ruskan recalled how the kids were scared and relied on him to help them. He relied on his Coast Guard training, some of the best training in the world, to get them to safety.

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Ruskan credits crew and calls them the real heroes

Ruskan remains humble. He said, “I’m getting a lot of attention for something that I think was expected of me and what every [U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer] would do in my shoes. The real heroes are the crew who flew us into this and the crews still working the mission.”

To read more about Ruskan's time at Rider University and his U.S. Coast Guard career, click here.

Well done, fellow Bronc, well done. So proud.