By: Jerome Brookshire

A 26-year-old New Jersey native is being hailed as a national hero after executing a daring rescue operation during his very first mission as a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer, helping to save 165 people stranded by catastrophic flash floods in central Texas over the July 4th weekend.

According to a report at VIN News, Scott Ruskan of Oxford, New Jersey, was deployed to Camp Mystic—a girls’ summer camp that became the epicenter of a rescue crisis after the Guadalupe River burst its banks, submerging roads and rendering boat evacuations impossible. With floodwaters rising swiftly and survivors scattered in isolated pockets across the sprawling campground, helicopters were the only viable lifeline. Ruskan, rather than remain aboard, chose to stay on the ground to triage victims, provide comfort to panicked campers and counselors, and direct chopper crews to the most critical locations.

“This is why we do the job,” Ruskan told VIN News, his voice measured but deeply emotional. “People were cold, wet, and miserable, but we were able to get the majority of them out safely.” He emphasized that, despite the tremendous effort, “the mission isn’t over.” Several campers remain unaccounted for, and the anxiety among parents and families is palpable.

The floods, which were triggered by days of torrential rainfall across the Hill Country, have already claimed at least 80 lives, according to state authorities. With entire communities submerged and infrastructure decimated, search and rescue efforts remain in full force. The U.S. Coast Guard, Texas National Guard, and numerous local agencies are working in coordination to reach isolated residents and assess the damage.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who toured the devastated region on Sunday, personally praised Ruskan’s courage and resolve. Calling him an “American hero,” she said his efforts “embody the unshakable spirit and selflessness of the U.S. Coast Guard.” Ruskan, however, remained characteristically humble. “I’m just a guy doing the job,” he told VIN News. “Any rescue swimmer in my shoes would have done the same thing.”

Ruskan’s journey to the Coast Guard was far from conventional. As reported by VIN News, he was working as an accountant in New Jersey until 2021 when he made the radical decision to trade spreadsheets for survival training. He underwent one of the military’s most grueling courses—Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician school—and was eventually stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas.

His first mission came under the most harrowing circumstances imaginable. The floodwaters surged so rapidly that in some areas, traditional rescue protocols had to be abandoned. “There were moments when we had to make tough calls on the fly,” Ruskan recounted. “You have to be steady when everyone else is terrified.”

He credited the success of the mission not to his own actions alone, but to the teamwork of his flight crew and the broader Coast Guard network. “There’s no lone hero in a situation like this,” he told VIN News. “Every pilot, every swimmer, every logistics officer—we all play a part.”

As the sun sets on a battered Texas landscape, the aftermath of the disaster continues to unfold. Yet amidst the wreckage and sorrow, stories like Ruskan’s offer a glimmer of hope and a reminder of the quiet valor that defines American first responders.

For the families of the 165 individuals saved from what could have been a death trap, Scott Ruskan is more than a name on a mission report—he is a symbol of humanity at its finest. And as VIN News emphasized in its report, “In a moment of unthinkable danger, one man’s decision to stand firm may have rewritten the ending of an entire community’s tragedy.”