Ryan Ticas of North Babylon honored for saving swimmer in distress

A North Babylon teen was recently recognized for his quick-thinking actions in helping an older man who was in distress this past summer at Cedar Beach in Babylon.

Ryan Ticas, a junior at North Babylon High School, said he was visiting the beach with his father, Roberto, on July 14 when he saw the man bleeding in the water. He rushed to bring him ashore and alert lifeguards.

The 62-year-old man, who told authorities he wished to remain anonymous, had been body surfing when a large wave struck him and left him disoriented about 20 feet away from the teen and his father, Ticas said.

“We all saw this big wave coming, and my dad and I went under it because it was way too strong,” Ticas, 16, said. “But I noticed the old man, after we came up from the wave, was bleeding from his head and stumbling around. I could tell he was concussed and something was wrong with his head. He was losing balance. When he was tripping, I ran over and caught him before he fell.”

Ticas, a junior lifeguard who previously worked at Goldfish Swim School in Farmingdale, put his arm around the injured man and guided him out of the water and back to safety on the shore. The teen then checked the man’s pulse and breathing, while also calling out to the nearby lifeguards.

The lifeguards wrapped the man’s head and laid him on a transfer board to stabilize his neck until a Suffolk County Police Department helicopter arrived and airlifted him to Stony Brook University Hospital at about 2 p.m., police said.

“He was breathing and everything, but his head was just bleeding and bleeding . . . I was nervous, but I knew I had to do something,” Ticas said.

Police declined to give details of the man’s condition or treatment.

Ticas was honored in September by the Town of Babylon, which bestowed on him a Heroism Award for his “valiant and courageous actions.” Town officials said Ticas was the youngest person to have ever received the award.

“Ryan exemplifies the true spirit of heroism, demonstrating remarkable courage and quick thinking in a moment of crisis,” said Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer.

North Babylon High School Principal Jonathan Klomp also praised Ticas.

“At North Babylon High School we teach our students to ‘Be the Change,’ ” Klomp said. “Ryan Ticas exemplifies the spirit of an upstander, showing courage and selflessness by saving a life at Cedar Beach. Simply being a bystander is not enough, and his actions as an upstander on behalf of a stranger makes us all proud at North Babylon High School.”

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.