Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer from Oxford, New Jersey, is being credited with saving 165 kids and camp counselors from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp where around 200 children were trapped by rising flood waters.

The death toll reached over 100 on July 8 as search and rescue operations continued after heavy rainfall overwhelmed the Guadalupe River, which sent floodwaters through homes and summer camps. President Donald Trump said Monday he plans to visit the ravaged southern state this week.

Here’s what to know about Ruskan, his NJ connection and the latest on the devastating floods.

Who is Scott Ruskan?

Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan is a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer from Oxford Township in Warren County. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in Homeland Security Policy, from Rider University in 2021, according to his LinkedIn page. He is a 2017 graduate of Warren Hills High School, who recognized their alumnus in a Facebook post.

What did Ruskan do?

Scott Ruskan was on his first rescue mission in Texas during the catastrophic floods when he was credited with rescuing 165 people, mostly kids from Camp Mystic, as floodwaters burst through homes and campsites.

Ruskan told Good Morning America he had “about 200 kids all scared and terrified, cold, probably having the worst day of their life,” explaining that he relied on the high-level training he received as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer to bring victims to safety.

Ruskan has been stationed at US Coast Guard Station Corpus Christi, about 210 miles from Kerrville in central Texas, where the Guadalupe River flooded its banks. He told GMA it took nearly six hours to reach the flood zone due to the weather, and once he landed, he was the only certified rescue swimmer on scene at Camp Mystic.

Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, dubbed Ruskan an “American hero” in a post on the X platform, remarking that it was Ruskan’s “first rescue mission of his career and the only triage coordinator on scene.”

The 2024 report, which was released July 7, lists 644 incidents of major discipline taken last year by 172 agencies in New Jersey against 543 officers. The numbers are up 19.7% from 2023, when there were 538 major disciplines from 167 agencies involving 460 unique officers.

Each year, New Jersey’s law enforcement agencies are required to submit a report of all major discipline imposed by that agency on its officers, the Attorney General’s Office website says. “Major discipline” is defined by the office as terminations, reductions in rank or suspension of more than five days.

Additionally, a 2022 directive expanded the infractions considered to be major discipline. The list now includes, among other things, discriminatory conduct, filing a false report, intentionally performing an improper search, applying excessive force, being untruthful, intentionally mishandling or destroying evidence, and committing domestic violence.

The expanded reporting categories also include officers charged with an indictable crime and officers who departed from an agency while an internal affairs matter was pending and where the outcome of the investigation would have required reporting.