Connecticut teen hailed as hero for saving man from drowning

EAST HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut teen is being hailed as a hero after he helped to save a man from drowning at an East Haven beach last week, authorities said.

According to WTNH and the New Haven Register, Davin Garamella, 14, of East Haven, sprang into action July 19 after a neighbor spotted an elderly man face-down in the water. Davin turned the man over, pulled him out of the water and waited with him until firefighters arrived, the news outlets reported.

As emergency responders were loading the man into an ambulance, he "began coughing and regained consciousness," East Haven Firefighters Local 1205 wrote in a Facebook post the following day.

"The single action that made this call so successful was the heroics of that teenage boy," read the post, which drew more than 500 reactions. "Kudos kid!"

East Haven firefighters responded to a reported drowning off Morgan Avenue yesterday afternoon. Prior to our arrival a...

Posted by East Haven Firefighters Local 1205 on Monday, July 20, 2020

On Monday, East Haven firefighters and the Board of Fire Commissioners presented Davin with a Civilian Life Saving Award, while Mayor Joe Carfora issued a proclamation honoring Davin's "bravery and courageous actions," the Register reported.

"I'm just really glad I was there to save him," Davin said, according to the newspaper.

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