Men to be honored for rescuing woman from wetlands

A Fountain Valley resident and a Huntington Beach resident have both been nominated for an award from the American Red Cross for rescuing a woman whose car plunged into the waters of the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

Matt Levesque, a Los Angeles County Firefighter from Fountain Valley, and Conor Gorey, Huntington Beach, dove into the water Oct. 27 to save a woman who was trapped inside her Toyota Camry underwater, according to Huntington Beach fire officials, who nominated the men for the award.

“By the time Huntington Engine 46 got there, these guys had done all the hard work,” said Huntington Beach fire Captain Michael Tamisyahu. “[The woman] said that if those guys hadn’t got her out, she would have drowned.”

The awards ceremony will be Wednesday at the Marconi Automotive Museum at 1302 Industrial Drive, Tustin, where the winners will be announced.

— Michael Alexander