Westfield English teacher, Matthew Kalafat, thought his Sunday afternoon at the Jersey shore with his family would be a respite from the first hectic weeks of school. Instead, the middle school English teacher plunged into the ocean on September 25 to save a woman who was pulled under by the strong riptide. “It was instinct over intellect – I jumped into the water,” said Kalafat, as he responded to his wife’s terrified scream when noticing the body floating lifeless. Kalafat jumped in and managed to bring the victim to shore as he himself struggled and went under after a “giant wave knocked me silly.” Bystander Scott McLaren, who had First Aid Squad training, started CPR on the victim, who was without a pulse.
Kalafat and McLaren learned that although she was taken unconscious to the hospital, Dishita Pandya has since fully recovered. They reconnected with her in her hospital room where she thanked the men who saved her life. Kalafat predicts that Pandya, a doctor who is a native of India, also will have the opportunity to save lives.
(above) Kalafat’s Principal, Stewart Carey (left), congratulated the English and Journalism teacher who has been on staff since 2009. “We here in Westfield, and particularly at Roosevelt, congratulate Mr. Kalafat on his heroic efforts. He has set a fine example for the type of individual that we would like our students to emulate as they develop into adulthood,” stated Carey.
Photo by Westfield Public Schools.
