At about 11:15 a.m. on Monday, 12 October 2026, the Carmel Police Department received two frantic calls from a suburban street that runs along the edge of a shallow pond. The callers described a grandmother struggling in murky water, with two young children clinging to her and a pushchair half‑submerged.
The grandmother, whose name has not yet been released, and her four‑year‑old grandchild were trying to pull a toddler‑sized pushchair out of the water when the older woman slipped. Neither she nor the older child could swim, leaving them to drift in the pond’s steep and dark depths.
Within seconds, 15‑year‑old Maddox Larger and his 14‑year‑old brother Grant sprinted toward the pond, plunged past the surface, and reached the grandmother before the family could lose consciousness.
Maddox first steadied the grandmother, then hauled the heavy pushchair out of the water; the toddler inside was unconscious and not breathing, so he delivered dry‑land back slaps until the child gasped back to life.
Carmel Firefighters and police arrived within a minute of the brothers’ rescue, confirmed both children were breathing and stable, and transported them to the local hospital for observation.
Sgt. Matt Keinsley praised the brothers in a press release, calling their actions a "remarkable display of courage under pressure," and the city announced that both will receive commendations at the City Council meeting on 16 November 2026.