An 11-year-old boy who nearly drowned off the coast of Santa Cruz, California, is celebrating his birthday after a teenage lifeguard saved his life.Speaking on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday, Nathaniel Rai and his father, Sumit, discussed the rescue and their visit to the White House to meet President Donald Trump."Nathaniel was two seconds away from dying.I mean, if he got swept out for two more seconds, he'd be 15, 20 feet deeper into the water.
And at that point, you can barely see him, let alone retrieve or rescue him," Sumit said about watching the video of his son’s rescue."He was near death.
He was already unconscious, from what I'm told, limp, not breathing."TRUMP MEETS TEEN LIFEGUARD AND BOY SAVED IN VIRAL OCEAN RESCUE AT OVAL OFFICEPresident Donald Trump speaks with Nathaniel Rai, right, in the Oval Office of the White House on Aug.17, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Rai was rescued by 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, Calif., on July 25.(Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Sumit, who was in Dallas at the time, said he first learned how serious the situation was when he saw the video on the news later that night.
Video of the rescue went viral after 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams jumped into the water to save Rai.With the help of fellow lifeguard Aaron Bohnen, Williams brought Rai to safety.Nathaniel described the moment the waves hit him and began pulling him out to sea, calling it "scary." "The waves kept crashing on me and I like passed out," he said.CALIFORNIA STABBING VICTIM'S FRIEND BLASTS 'FAILED' JUSTICE SYSTEM OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT'S RELEASENathaniel’s father thanked Williams for saving his son’s life, allowing the family to celebrate Nathaniel's 11th birthday this week.Nathaniel Rai listens as President Donald Trump meets with lifeguard Ryder Williams in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday, Aug.
17, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)"The heroism he showed and...