A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer from New Jersey is being hailed as a hero for rescuing close to 200 people following the catastrophic flooding in central Texas.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem singled out Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, 26, for his heroic efforts.

“United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG,” Noem said.

More from Fox News:

Ruskan said in an interview on “Fox and Friends” that they were in the air when they saw a huge crowd of about 200 kids at a campsite. That is how they decided to focus on Camp Mystic.

“Yeah, as far as right now, we’ve been getting our tasks from higher above mostly from the Army as of right now. But a lot of it has just been large state triages, so we were at Mystic yesterday for a long period of time. We probably got about 200 people out of there alone, and it was just, yeah, we just saw a huge crowd, about 200 kids at a campsite. So, we’re like, cool that’s where we’re gonna go, and we’re just gonna get as many people out as we can until they’re all gone,” Scott told “Fox and Friends.”

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Kerr County Sheriff’s Office says that as of 1:30pm Sunday they had recovered 68 deceased in Kerr County.

“Among those who are deceased, we have 40 adults and 28 children. Eighteen adults are pending identification, and 10 children also pending identification. At present, there are 10 Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, along with one counselor,” they posted to Facebook.

“As catastrophic floods swept through Central Texas, Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan and his Coast Guard aircrew answered the call of duty without hesitation—saving 165 lives during his first rescue mission. The extraordinary bravery and selfless service of Ruskan and his fellow first responders embody the very spirit of the United States Coast Guard and the best of what it means to be an American. Thank you to the first responders,” Homeland Security stated.

Ruskan also shared his account on “Good Morning America.”

Check it out:

The New York Post shared additional details:

Raised in Oxford, NJ, Ruskan enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2021, and after completing basic training, went to Aviation survival technician school in Petaluma, Calif., before being stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He had been on call since November after completing all his training, familiarizing himself with the Coast Guard’s iconic MH-65 helicopter and enrolling in additional rescue swimming classes as he waited to be called into action.

That fateful call came on the Fourth of July as a massive summer rainstorm led to catastrophic flash flooding in the Lone Star State that has so far claimed at least 80 lives.

Bryan Winchell, a helicopter search and rescue technician with Texas Task Force 1 — a partnership between the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service — called the Coast Guard looking to get boots on the ground and in the air for an emergency rapid response near central Texas.

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“That’s a little bit outside our area of operation normally, but people were in danger, and we’re a good asset to try and help people out, and these guys were asking for help, so that’s kind of what we do,” Ruskan said.

 

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