Hero Brothers Honored For Harrowing Fairfield Water Rescue

FAIRFIELD, CT — Family, friends and officials were on hand Wednesday afternoon at Fairfield police headquarters to witness the honoring of two humble heroes.

Jonathan Goldfarb, 27, of Fairfield, and his brother, Matthew Goldfarb, 31, of Howell, New Jersey, were bestowed the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission Medal in a short ceremony acknowledging their work in jointly saving a man and his dog from drowning Dec. 22, 2019, at Lake Mohegan.

“On behalf of the police department, it’s an honor to present you with this award,” Chief Robert Kalamaras said.

Kalamaras, other first responders in attendance and First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, who also presented the award, appeared sincerely awestruck by the heroic work of the two brothers.

“They’re just heroes,” Capt. Tony Granata said. “We’re really excited for them, and we’re really excited to get to showcase them, what they’re about.”

Granata and Sgt. Mike Stahl, who were first on the scene from the department, nominated the brothers for the award, which is considered the highest honor for civilian heroism in North America and includes a monetary stipend, as well as a medallion.

That fateful day, the brothers were taking a walk by the lake in the late afternoon with their parents, Jeff and Kathy, who were also in attendance at the ceremony, when they heard a woman screaming and attempting to wade out into the lake after her boyfriend and his dog.

The dog had apparently fallen through thin ice, and the man, then a 24-year-old from Orange, went into the lake to try to rescue him.

Each brother has had extensive training and experience as a lifeguard in their native Monmouth County, New Jersey. In his 13 years, Matthew said he has saved more than 100 people from the water, but noted it was just part of the job.

Jonathan, a graduate of Sacred Heart University, where he is pursuing post-graduate work, has also saved dozens during his years of lifeguard work, but never under wintry conditions.

“It was cold,” Jonathan said.

Yet when they saw the man some 100 feet out in the lake, struggling to stay above water and quickly freezing, they didn’t hesitate to kick off their boots, throw off their winter coats and head straight into the water.

“There was no way they wouldn’t go in,” said Kathy, who expressed deep pride in the pair.

“They’re lifeguards,” Jeff echoed, noting the timing was serendipitous to put the family right in that spot at that moment.

“Ten minutes earlier, or 10 minutes later,” he said ominously, also noting that he and his wife were sure their boys would succeed.

But it wasn’t a simple rescue. As Jonathan’s dog, Poe, was frantically barking on shore, the pair had to fight their way through the ice as their own body temperatures plummeted from the cold water.

Jonathan was the first to reach the man, who was fully dressed and terrified.

“I just grabbed him,” said Jonathan, who was barely able to speak himself during the rescue because of the cold. Jonathan began towing the man, finally suggesting he kick to aid them, if at all possible.

As the police arrived, their first worry was that the brothers would also need to be rescued, so they upgraded the call for more help.

Amazingly, however, both shortly worked their way back with the victim and his dog, getting them safely to shore, where they were subsequently taken for treatment.

While the brothers had to be treated at a hospital for hypothermia and some lacerations, Jonathan and Matthew succeeded in their effort.

Had the brothers not been there, Stahl said, “Who knows what would have happened?”

“They definitely saved the man’s life,” he said.