A quick-thinking 15-year-old dove headfirst into a Newport Beach marina to rescue a drowning dog – and the dramatic save was caught on camera.
Mateo Akerman was hanging out with friends near the Balboa Island docks on the afternoon of June 18 when they spotted the pooch wandering dangerously close to traffic. Moments later, George the dog tumbled into Newport Harbor.
The teens figured the dog would doggy-paddle back on his own, but he couldn’t.
As George ran out of steam around 4 p.m., Akerman kicked off his shoes and swam a long stretch to reach the exhausted pup, a bystander’s video shows.
“I carried him back to shore,” Akerman told KTLA.
A 15-year-old didn't think twice before diving into a harbor to save a dog from drowning.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 22, 2026
Video shows 15-year-old Mateo Akerman diving into Newport Harbor after spotting a struggling dog named George who appeared unable to make it back to shore on his own.
As friends cheered… pic.twitter.com/3ZemGuHaSm
Back on the sand, his pals wrapped the shivering dog in a towel, found a phone number on his collar and dialed it. Before long, George was reunited with his grateful family. Neither hero nor hound suffered so much as a scratch.
The clip blew up online with viewers showering the teen in praise.
“That dog was shivering. Good job young man for saving the pup!” one wrote.
