Preserver is credited with Memorial Day rescue
A new water-rescue ring stands at the Boynton Inlet, thanks to the work of Sarah Perry. Her nonprofit donated the devices in honor of her late son, Aden Perry, whose photo graces each one (at top). Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Tao Woolfe
If you’re at the Boynton Inlet or Boca Raton Inlet this summer and you spot an official-looking lifesaving ring mounted near the water, you can thank Aden Perry, an altruistic young man who might still be alive if he’d had access to one of the bright orange flotation devices in 2022.
The life rings, previously installed near waters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, were added last month to the two South Palm Beach County inlets and to other county locations thanks to a donation from Aden’s mother, Sarah Perry.
Perry has been on a mission since her 17-year-old son drowned trying to rescue a car crash victim on April 20, 2022. She believes that had life rings been available on the final night of her son’s life, Aden — and the man he was trying to save — might not have been sucked down into the waters of a dimly lit pond in Sunrise.
“I would like to see life rings installed by every body of water in Florida,” Perry said, explaining that her organization — the Aden Perry Good Samaritan and Scholarship Fund — has so far donated some 500 life rings to municipalities and counties throughout the state.
The life rings began appearing in Palm Beach County parks in May — National Water Safety Month. In addition, Perry said her organization is in discussions with Boynton Beach and Delray Beach fire departments about adding more ring stations in city-owned waterfront parks.
Dane Kris and his son, Beau, of Deerfield Beach watch Oscar Orellana of Pompano Beach and William Newby of Texas fish near a newly installed life ring station at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton on May 26. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Paddleboarders rescued
The rings are already proving to be worth their salt.
The ones at Ocean Inlet Park in Boynton Beach arrived close to a year after 8-year-old Saul Cerrato-Vasquez of West Palm Beach drowned there, falling into the inlet’s dangerous waters while on an early morning fishing outing with his father on June 13, 2024.
On Memorial Day, one of the new Aden Perry life rings was used during a rescue there.
At about 1 p.m. May 26, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to a 911 call reporting two “distressed” paddleboarders.
Teams from both the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Ocean Rescue pulled the paddleboarders out of the typically strong current, with one of them transported to a hospital. No serious injuries were reported.
A video of the incident, which was sent to Perry, shows one of the Boynton Inlet’s three life rings being used by one of the rescued paddleboarders.
“The ring did exactly what it was supposed to do — help someone who fell into rough water,” Perry said. “This is why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
At a May 1 unveiling ceremony at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton, county rescue personnel performed a mock rescue using a life ring, which is mounted on a stand that is accessible to anyone — whether that person is walking or in a wheelchair, Perry said.
The ring, manufactured by Datrex, which is based in Kinder, Louisiana, is made of low-density polyethylene. The company website describes the material as one that provides “superior life expectancy in the most severe environments.”
The rings cost about $140 apiece, according to the Datrex website.
Aden’s message
Aden Perry drowned while trying to rescue a car crash victim. Photo provided
Perry said she raises the money to pay for life rings from people and companies all across the country. The Aden Perry Foundation partnered with the Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation Department, for example, to place the most recent rings along county waterways.
Each life ring bears a small patch containing a photo of Aden Perry and a message that says: “A hero is a person of distinguished courage and ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
The rings look like those you might see on cruise ships or cargo vessels, Perry said, adding that when she looked out over the rocks and breaking waves at the Boca Inlet, she was reminded of how quickly water can turn deadly.
“It hits me every time,” she said.
Sarah and Aden Perry had been walking the family dog along a retention pond in Sunrise on the night of the 2022 incident. They saw a driver lose control of his car, crash into a tree, and land in the water. Aden Perry jumped into the pond to help, but he hit a rock and both he and the driver — an 18-year-old man — drowned.
The Carnegie Institute presented Sarah Perry with a posthumous hero medal for her son in August 2023. The organization honors selfless acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada.
Sarah Perry had begun on her mission to provide life rings and scholarships to Florida parks in February 2023. The first of them were installed along Coral Springs waterways.
“Aden was very bright and wanted to be a neurosurgeon,” Sarah Perry said. “He just wanted to help people. Our foundation’s motto is: ‘It’s great to be brilliant, but it’s more important to be kind.’”
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