Matthew Baxter

Matthew Baxter rescued a boy from drowning, Saint John, New Brunswick, June 9, 2025. A teenage boy was struggling to swim in the cold water of the Little River Reservoir off the nearby beach at a municipal park. The seasonal lifeguards were not yet stationed on the beach and the water temperature that afternoon was estimated to be in the low 60s. At the park for a site construction meeting, Baxter, 28, civil engineering technologist, and others attending the meeting heard calls for help. Baxter removed a section of fence surrounding the construction site and rushed to the shoreline and removed his construction helmet and surveyor’s vest, but he kept all of his clothing on, including his steel-toe work boots. Baxter waded into the chilly water, then swam to the boy, who was holding onto another teen who was trying to help him, more than 100 feet from shore. Baxter separated them and then wrapped an arm around the boy’s back and put an arm under his arm. Seeing that the other teen appeared to be able to swim on his own, Baxter encouraged him to swim back while he began kicking toward the beach with the boy. Unable to kick off his boots, which were weighing him down, Baxter submerged multiple times with the boy and swallowed water. Once they reached wadable water, others from shore met Baxter and helped the boy to shore. Arriving first-responders then cared for the boy, who was treated at a hospital. Baxter, who coughed up water afterward, recovered without medical treatment.

2025-0000301-10573