Saint John man to receive Carnegie Medal for water rescue

Saint John resident Matthew Baxter receives a Carnegie Medal for saving a teen from drowning.

A Saint John man is set to receive one of North America’s top civilian honours for his extraordinary act of heroism.

Matt Baxter learned earlier this week he will be receiving the Carnegie Medal for his efforts in saving a teenage boy from drowning at the Little River Reservoir on Saint John’s east side.

The honour is bestowed throughout Canada and the United States to individuals who put their lives on the line while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.

“Over the last 122 years, water rescues historically have been our most deadly peril, because victims panic and things go south so fast in the water,” the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission says. “Baxter not only showed amazing courage in the face of a very real danger, he also remained calm and collected, which led to saving a boy’s life.

“He should be very proud of his actions that day, and we are honored to count him among our heroes.”

“I’ve been in disbelief ever since,” says Baxter. “I’m proud of this one, and I’m just very grateful for how it turned out first and foremost. That was good enough, but this is pretty cool.”

Baxter has clear memories of June 9, 2025.

He was at the Little River Reservoir working on construction for a new beach volleyball court as a civil engineer. After general meetings with fellow workers, they stayed on site a little longer to plan for some trees that needed to be replanted as part of the project.

That’s when he and others heard a commotion from the water.

“I took off like the Kool-Aid man,” Baxter says, as described by someone else who was on the scene that day.

“I went right through the fence, which was like a six-foot-tall metal fence, and like disassembled it as I went down to the beach.”

Seeing the teenager struggling to stay afloat, Baxter quickly threw off his hard hat and vest and dove into the around 60F waters of the reservoir. He didn’t remove any clothes or his steel-toed boots.

He admits the initial step into the cold water was a shock, but the former member of the Canadian Armed Forces wasn’t about to turn around.

“As I was hitting the water, that’s when I was like this is happening. It wasn’t [a question of] if I’m going to stop. This is happening and I need to get there.”

More than 100 feet from the shore, Baxter swam out to the two boys, one of whom was trying to help his struggling friend. Baxter separated the two and grabbed the struggling boy while the other was able to swim back to shore on his own.

“I kind of grabbed onto him to support him and kind of carry him up over my shoulder almost,” says Baxter, who notes he had training on performing rescues through Red Cross, as well as his time in the military.

As he kicked back towards the beach, he was submerged in the water multiple times while carrying the boy due to the heavy boots he couldn’t remove. Both he and the teen swallowed water while coming back to shore.

When asked if in that moment if he thought he wasn’t going to get out of the water, Baxter admits it crossed his mind.

“But I wanted to get back, and I just can’t think about that, I got to go.”

He remembers a lot of coughing after getting out of the water with the boy, but he did not need to go the hospital. The teenager was brought to the hospital by paramedics for a brief check-up but was released.

Last August, Saint John council honoured Baxter with a council commendation.

“Look out for one another and just don’t be afraid to help in whatever way you can,” says Baxter.

“The bystander effect is real, so just being the one to call, being the one to just yell for help, do whatever you can. That will save lives ultimately.”

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