Local beach boy saves distressed teenage tourist

Chaos ensued on the shores of Prospect Street in Rehoboth Beach Aug. 23.

Despite Hurricane Erin creating powerful waves and treacherous water conditions, the coastline was filled with people brave enough to witness the true power of the ocean. Minutes before 9:45 a.m., Mathew Popovich, a 17-year-old employee of Catts Beach Services, heard screams coming from the rolling ocean waves.

A 16-year-old tourist underestimated the power of the water, filled with dangerous rip currents and 8-foot waves. Since the Rehoboth Beach Patrol was not on duty, the beach was left unattended. 

After calling for lifeguards and law enforcement, Popovich knew there was limited time to act.

“The [boy’s] father had tried to go in and save him, but he kept getting knocked back by the waves,” Popovich said.

He sprinted to the beach shack, where Catts’ rents umbrellas, chairs and most importantly, boogie boards. He grabbed a boogie board, ran into the ocean and paddled out to the teenage boy.

When Popovich was 10 feet away from the boy, he slowly started to go under the water. In a matter of seconds, Popovich shoved the board under the boy to keep him afloat. The two boys waited in the water until lifeguards from Rehoboth Beach Patrol and Dewey Beach Patrol, along with law enforcement, arrived on scene to finalize the rescue.

Because of Popovich’s quick reaction time and selfless decision making, the boy was safely reunited with his family.

“I didn’t need to think about it,” said Popovich, a senior at Cape. “I knew I had to act quickly, because if not, that day could have ended a lot differently.”