While on vacation faced with an emergency situation Juan Dominguez sprang into action to save lives. On December 27, Juan rescued three drowning teens while on vacation with his family in Miami Beach, Florida. Enjoying the pool one morning at Juan's parents' condo, the Dominguez family heard a cry for help coming from the beach. Quick to respond, Juan ran out to the beach, picking up his sons' boogie board along the way. Juan cited his military experience as his motivation for grabbing a flotation device. "My instincts and my training... kind of never leaves you, for better or for worse. And in this case, it was for the better," said Juan. Juan's wife, Cheyenne, called 911 as other beach-goers stood by, stunned. It wasn't until Juan swam out to help a fifteen-year-old boy caught in the 8-foot ocean swells, that he realized there were still two more teens in danger. "As I was pulling him on my board, he said 'Hey, my two sisters are back behind me,' and I said 'Well, let me get you in first.' ...once his feet hit the [shore]... we went back for the second one," recalled Juan.
Photo: Juan and Cheyenne Dominguez, Juan's two sons, mother, and brother, with members of the Miami Beach Police Department
With the help of a few other quick-thinking individuals, Juan used his boogie board and another swimmer's surfboard to transfer the boy's sisters safely to shore, one by one. By the final leg of the rescue, Juan, exhausted, was pulled further out to sea by the strong undertow. "For every foot that I went in, it was pulling me back two feet." said Juan. Juan decided to wait for rescue by clinging to his boogie board. By the time Miami Beach Rescue arrived, he was the only one left to save. The entire encounter lasted just six minutes, and everyone involved is unharmed, thanks to Juan's heroic actions. Juan said "The only thing that flashed in my mind was, gosh, if those were my kids, I would hope, you know, that someone would jump in the water and try to help them." The following day, on December 28, the Miami Beach Police honored Juan with an MBPD unit coin, an honor traditionally reserved only for police officers. Article courtesy of Comcast.