Members of Montgomery County’s swift water rescue team were reunited on Sunday with 12-year-old Aasish Selvaraj and his family, days after they helped rescue him, his nanny, and her young child from dangerous flash floodwaters.
The emotional reunion took place at the Cabin John Park Fire Department, where Selvaraj and his family met the first responders who had saved their lives just days earlier.
On July 31, firefighters were called to the area of Bradley Boulevard and Mercy Hollow Lane after multiple cars became trapped in rising floodwaters. When crews arrived, they initially found one vehicle partially submerged and lodged against a guardrail, appearing stable.
But then, across nearly 200 feet of rushing water, Montgomery County Police used a megaphone to alert the rescue team to a more urgent situation—a second car was almost fully submerged, with only the roof visible. On top of it was young Aasish Selvaraj, holding a baby in his arms.
“It hit me right then—we had to act fast. Lives were at immediate risk,” said Capt. James Leinhauser.
Selvaraj recalled the terrifying moment: “Water was rushing inside the car. I climbed out and held on to a fallen tree branch. I was holding our nanny’s son, and I was really scared—for him and our nanny.”
Rescuers managed to save everyone involved—three individuals from the first vehicle and Selvaraj, his nanny, and the child from the second.
At Sunday’s reunion, the Selvaraj family expressed their gratitude with a heartfelt gesture—a $10,000 donation to the fire and rescue service.
“Every mother’s nightmare is losing a child,” said Aasish’s mother, Prathiba Ramadoss. “The bravery these first responders showed—I can’t put it into words. All I can say is I will always pray for them and their families.”
