Detective

Department of Insurance

11/13/2016

Special Act Award (Gold)

At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 13, 2016, Detective Aivaras Petraitis performed an ocean rescue of a mother and her son off of the Ventura coast. Detective Petraitis was at Harbor Cove beach playing volleyball with his family and friends when he heard a female on the beach scream repeatedly for help. Detective Petraitis saw the woman waving her hands in the air, and pointing towards the ocean. Detective Petraitis ran full sprint towards the ocean and saw the mother and son struggling in the ocean. The mother was trying to reach her teenage son, who was further out in the ocean, but she was unable due to the ocean conditions. The rip currents were moving both individuals further away from the shore. Detective Petraitis went into the ocean and swam towards the mother first, as she appeared to be in the most imminent danger because she could not keep her head above water. Upon entering the ocean, a rip current pulled him under the water, and he realized just how dangerous the conditions were for swimming. Detective Petraitis gained control of himself and approached the mother who was thirty yards out. He grabbed a hold of her, and swam her to the shore where his wife and friends tended to her. Detective Petraitis then swam back out into the ocean and was able to reach the teenage boy, who was forty yards out, and swim him back to the shore. Once on shore, Detective Petraitis found the mother was disoriented and unable to stand. He made sure both performed actions to release water from their stomachs and lungs until emergency personnel took over the scene. With no regard for his own safety, Detective Petraitis’ heroic act saved two people from drowning in the ocean. The State of California takes great pride in presenting this Gold Medal of Valor to Department of Insurance Detective Aivaras Petraitis.