9/11 Hero Award Honors Grafton Sinking Car Rescue

GRAFTON, MA — The man who saved a teen from a sinking car in Grafton in December 2019 was formally honored by the state on Friday with the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery.

Chris Etre was driving on Wheeler Road that cold December night when he noticed a car almost halfway submerged in the lake. Without much thinking, Etre hopped into the icy waters and smashed the back window of the car, rescuing the 18-year-old girl trapped inside.

The rescue took no more than four minutes altogether.

Following the incident, Etre told Patch that when he looked into the car and saw the frightened teen inside, he saw his own children.

"I'd like to think anyone in my shoes would stop and do the same for my kids," Etre said. "Grafton is a good community."

The teen and the driver were not injured and taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated. Etre said he only had a few cuts on his hands from the broken glass.

"Nothing a few Band-Aids can't fix," Etre told Patch.

Now, on the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Etre was honored with the civilian award named after Amy Sweeney. Sweeney was an American Airlines flight attendant from Acton aboard the first of two aircraft hijacked by terrorists and flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Sweeney warned grounds crews about the hijackers on her plane and gave critical information.

“Putting his own life at risk, Chris Etre personified the selfless courage we remember Madeline ‘Amy’ Sweeney for,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “In the face of life-threatening danger, he acted quickly and decisively to bring a stranger to safety and is an inspirational example of her legacy. ”

Etre was nominated for the award by Senator Michael O. Moore, Representative David Muradian, and Grafton Police Chief Normand A. Crepeau, Jr. He was selected by the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery Selection Committee, which is chaired by Lt. Governor Polito.