A professional diver who found the body of a missing high school student in the Calaveras River last week was recognized for his effort by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
Juan Heredia on March 19 entered the river located across from Stagg High School in Stockton and within 30 minutes located the body of 15-year-old Xavier Martinez, who was believed to have jumped into the water following a campus fight.
“Your remarkable selflessness in answering the call to search for a drowning victim in Stockton reflects the true essence of heroism,” read the certificate presented to Heredia.
The Stockton Unified School District said Martinez and another student had been involved in an altercation on campus and after administration broke up the fight, two boys wearing ski masks took off toward the levee.
Both boys were, at the time, believed to have jumped into the river, with only one of them exiting alive.
After a six-day search without any success, led by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office boating unit, Heredia asked Martinez’s mother if he could search for her son.
Heredia said he searched in low-visibility waters and that the body had not been stuck on any materials.
Board chair Miguel Villapudua thanked Heredia for the peace brought to the community and called his acts remarkable.
Supervisor Tom Patti, who said he is friends with Heredia, said the river had murky, dangerous water yet Heredia put himself at risk to find the teen.
A funeral for Martinez was held Wednesday.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
