Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller honored Aasish Selvaraj of Potomac with a Governor’s Citation for his heroic work saving himself, his nanny and her young son as flash floods swept their SUV off the road at the end of July.
The state officials called the 12-year-old boy “a real-life hero.”
Selvaraj was being driven home from camp July 31 when the car he was riding in was pushed off the road and into fast moving water near Bradley Boulevard and Holly Mercy Lane in Potomac. The car stopped when it crashed into a large tree branch.
Before the first responders arrived, Selvaraj climbed out the back door of the SUV and stood on the tree branch. The seventh grader then struggled to grab his nanny’s son and get him out of the car as well. They were standing on the log when the rescuers reached them through 200 feet of raging water and helped them to safety.
A few days later, Aasish was reunited with the Rescue Team, where one firefighter said it best: “He’s a hero.”
— Lt. Governor Aruna Miller (@LtGovMiller) August 18, 2025
