DETROIT, Ore. -- A 15-year old Portland youth was flown from Detroit Lake to a Portland hospital Saturday afternoon following a near-drowning incident and rescue involving two Good Samaritans, authorities said -- the first of two such rescues of Oregon teens that day.

Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Marine Patrol, along with Detroit-Lyons Fire medics, responded to the Hoover boat ramp at about 2:45 p.m.

Senior Deputy Dave Zahn and Cadet Eric Banick arrived to find a crowd surrounding two Good Samaritans who were administering life-saving measures to the young man. Deputies learned that the victim, Jason Nguyen, 15, of Portland, was unconscious when pulled from the water.

The sheriff's office personnel assisted in stabilizing the victim until medics could transport him to the US Forest Service landing pad on the north side of the lake.

The Reach 8 helicopter arrived shortly after and transported Nguyen to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, where he was listed in fair and stable condition Sunday morning, according to a nursing supervisor.

Deputies interviewed witnesses and learned that Nguyen and his 19-year old brother, Eric, were attempting to swim from Hoover Rock to the shoreline of Highway 22, a distance of several hundred feet. Halfway across the water, Nguyen began to struggle and slipped under the surface.

A witness on the shore, Craig Hemengway, 33, of Portland, saw that Nguyen was in trouble and swam to where Nguyen was last seen. Hemengway located Nguyen about 6' under the surface and pulled him to shore. Once at the boat ramp, another Samaritan, Tawnya Roozeboom, 33 of Salem, joined him. Together, they tended to Nguyen until the arrival of the Marine Patrol deputies and medics.

"Mr. Hemengway and Ms. Roozeboom did not hesitate to get involved when they saw someone in need of help. I applaud their heroic action." commented Deputy Zahn.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office reminds boaters and swimmers to familiarize themselves with the water environment and its potential hazards. Wear a flotation device and be sure to remain within your personal limits when boating or swimming.

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A Monday update from the sheriff's office:

Follow up investigation into this near-drowning incident has revealed additional information. Shortly after the victim, Jason Nguyen was brought to the surface by Samaritan Craig Hemengway; a third witness became involved in the rescue.

That witness is identified as off-duty Salem Police Officer Sanford Groat. Officer Groat was at the lake with family and friends when he observed the commotion near the boat ramp. Seeing that Craig Hemengway needed additional help, Groat went into the water and helped to bring Nguyen to the boat ramp where they could tend to him. Along with Hemengway and Tawnya Roozeboom, Groat provided CPR to the victim for several minutes. The three Samaritans stayed with the victim until relieved by Marion County Marine Deputies & Medics.

Officer Groat is a 13-year veteran of the Salem Police Department, currently assigned to Parrish Middle School as their School Resource Officer. Following the incident, Groat drove to the Santiam Hospital, where he received several stitches for a gash on his left leg. He cut it on the underwater rocks while helping to retrieve the victim from the water. He is recovering at home.

Groat commented, "It was good to see so many people stepping up and helping out. This young man needed everyone's help to make it through this incident. It was a combined effort".

Jason Nguyen has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. ---

Around 5 p.m. Saturday, the Washington County Sheriff's Marine Patrol was at Henry Hagg Lake near Forest Grove when a citizen called 911 to report a person drowned. Sheriff's Deputies responded to the Sain Creek Picnic Area at Hagg Lake, which is a popular swimming location.

When the deputies arrived, they found 14-year-old Shawn Gridley Jr., from Beaverton, conscious and breathing on his own.

It was reported that Shawn was swimming in about eight feet of water with family and friends. The initial investigation revealed that they were playing a game to see who could hold their breath the longest and doing the "dead man's float."

Shawn appeared to be in distress then went under the surface. It is believed he was under the water for one minute. The friends started screaming for help. but they were not taken seriously at first because they had been yelling and screaming while playing for quite some time prior to the incident.

An alert 15-year-old, Tiara Freeman of St. Helens, was swimming close to Shawn and realized he was in trouble. She saw him go under the surface and swam over to him.

Freeman dove down and pulled Shawn, who was unconscious, under the water until she was close enough to the shore where she could touch the bottom of the lake. She continued pulling him to the shoreline, where other people were gathering.

Tiara's mother, 40-year-old Kathleen Hinkel also from St. Helens, helped pull Shawn the rest of the way out of the water and began giving him rescue breaths.

Hinkel works for the Clackamas County Juvenile Department and she is trained in CPR and first aid. She continued rescue breaths as 24-year-old Nicholas Evans, from Beaverton, began chest compressions in an effort to save Shawn's life.

After about one minute, Shawn spit out water and began breathing on his own as he regained consciousness.

Gaston Fire Department responded to assist. Shawn was transported to Tuality Hospital by ground ambulance, then OHSU in Portland for observation.

Deputies said it appears he will recover from the incident. None of the rescuers knew Shawn prior to them rendering life-saving assistance to him.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office commends these alert citizens for their swift actions which saved another person's life. The Sheriff's Office trains all staff members in CPR and first aid annually and encourages every citizen to also learn it.