| Name: | Matthew Nagy |
| Gender: | Male |
| Agency: | Palatine Fire Department |
| Type of Firefighter: | |
| Rank: | Firefighter |
| Type of Duty: | Vehicle rescue |
| Type of Award: | Medal of Honor |
| Year of Award: | 2002 |
| Incident City: | Buffalo Grove |
| Year of Incident: | 2001 |
| Incident Location Type: | Water/Waterfront |
| Incident Attribute: | Traffic accidents |
Firefighter Matthew Nagy of the Palatine Fire Department was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions to save a woman from drowning in Buffalo Grove, Illinois on November 7, 2001.
Nagy was off-duty and driving down Arlington Heights Road with his two year-old daughter when two cars parked on the side of the road caught his attention. Upon exiting his vehicle, he was alerted to a passenger vehicle that was sinking in a nearby retention pond. The driver of the car, who had escaped from it, informed Nagy that there was a passenger trapped inside it. Nagy jumped into the chilly pond, fully clothed, and swam to the car. With his shoes still on, he kicked the window in. The car immediately began to sink. He took a deep breath and dove down to the car. He was able to pull the sixty-five-year-old victim through the broken window, out of the water, to safety.
Citations:Firefighter honored for saving woman,
Chicago Tribune, May 16, 2002.
Firefighter saves woman in pond,
Chicago Tribune, November 9, 2001.
“Illinois Honors Her Own,” The Gong, July-September, 2002.
Rescue worker to receive state’s top honor,
Daily Herald, May 17, 2002.