It was a normal Sunday afternoon at Lake Nacimiento for Lazaro Pérez, 13, when he heard a splash but did not see anyone resurface.
“I turned around and the boy wasn't floating anymore," the teen told KSBY.
Monterey County park rangers say a 7-year-old boy was not wearing a life jacket when he fell off a tube near the shoreline.
Without a second thought, Lazaro dove in.
“I saw him drowning, so then I started going towards him. He was about to go underwater," Pérez said.
Adding that he was scared, Lazaro was able to pull the boy back to shore.
The teen’s mother, Nancy, says she stood frozen in fear as she watched her son leap into action.
“Lazaro reacted quickly. I was paralyzed. I couldn’t react because I was scared," Nancy says. "Even though it was not my child I was scared and didn’t know what to do.”
His mom says she’s heard stories like this before, but with far worse outcomes.
"I've heard stories like these but where both end up drowned... It can happen to even the best swimmer," Nancy said.
When they returned home and shared the news with Lazaro’s grandmother, her heart swelled with pride.
“I thanked God that he could save that boys life," Gonzalez says. “I told him, 'Congratulations, you did it'.”
“I felt grateful for what I did," Lazaro explained.
News of the rescue quickly spread after Monterey County Park Rangers shared Lazaro's heroic story on social media.
The department says District 3 Supervisor Chris Lopez will be honoring Lazaro with a ceremonial resolution at an upcoming County of Monterey Board of Supervisors meeting.
When asked what he would say to the 7-year-old boy he rescued if he met him again, Lazaro said, “I would just ask him if he's okay, if he needs help with anything," he responded.
Park rangers tell KSBY the boy, who was taken to the hospital after the incident, is going to be OK.
