SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Governor Gavin Newsom recognized 10 members of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for their acts of bravery during the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor Awards ceremony earlier today at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento. These awards are the highest honor California presents to its employees who risked their lives to save others or protect state property.
“These awards are an opportunity to highlight the selfless actions of California’s courageous public servants,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Despite extraordinary odds and near-certain death, each one of them honored the oath they were sworn to, placing their own lives in harm’s way to protect others.”
For their noble actions, each of the following CHP employees received the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor Award:
Officer Ryan Ayers (Moorpark Area) was presented with a Gold Medal of Valor for his heroic actions to save a man from a burning vehicle. On August 6, 2021, Officer Ayers, who was off duty with his family, came upon the wreckage from a crash on U.S. 101 in Buellton involving two semitrucks. Fire was rapidly spreading in one of the vehicles, with the unconscious driver still inside. Without hesitation, Officer Ayers ran toward the flames and single-handedly carried the driver to safety seconds before the semitruck became fully engulfed.
Officer Eric Jorgensen (Sonora Area) was presented with a Gold Medal of Valor for demonstrating extraordinary courage to save lives. On August 15, 2021, Officer Jorgensen and his partner responded to the scene of a crash on State Route 140 in Merced. Upon arrival, the officers observed a truck on the shoulder with major front-end damage, and the engine compartment engulfed in flames. Officer Jorgensen quickly exited the patrol car, grabbed his fire extinguisher, and ran toward the truck. For three minutes, he inhaled heavy smoke and extinguisher dust while attempting to extinguish the flames. During this time, he noticed a driver trapped inside the truck who appeared injured. While Officer Jorgensen continued to try to knock down the flames, his partner attempted to pry open the truck’s door to free the victim. Realizing flames were spreading to the inside of the truck cab, Officer Jorgensen ran around to the passenger side door. With great risk to himself and no regard for his own safety, Officer Jorgensen opened the door, entered the passenger compartment, and worked tirelessly to dislodge the driver from under the steering wheel. A witness assisted Officer Jorgensen in pulling the driver completely out of the burning truck and to safety until medical aid could arrive. While the driver suffered major injuries, he survived the incident.
Officer Kenneth Weckman (Yuba-Sutter Area) was presented with a Gold Medal of Valor for bravery and composure while enduring a violent attack. On December 6, 2021,
Officer Weckman responded to a call of a vehicle blocking the roadway on Woodruff Lane, east of Armstrong Road, in Marysville. Upon arrival, he discovered a woman attempting to drown her 4-year-old child in a nearby canal. Officer Weckman entered the canal and was able to wrestle the child away. While fending off the woman, who was verbally threatening to kill the child and the officer, backup from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department arrived. Officer Weckman was ultimately able to restrain the woman, who had been under the influence of drugs. The child was unharmed, and the woman was subsequently arrested.
Officers Steven Strobel and Aaron Adair (Truckee and Santa Ana Areas) were presented with a Gold Medal of Valor for their valiant actions to rescue a man from a burning vehicle. On February 20, 2022, the officers arrived on the scene of a crash on Interstate 10 in West Covina. With the fire rapidly spreading, the officers worked quickly to free the unconscious man trapped inside the burning vehicle. Moments after freeing the driver and pulling him to safety, explosions could be heard coming from the car. Despite the officers’ life-saving measures, the man succumbed to his injuries on scene. During the rescue, Officer Adair suffered severe burns to his hand and was transported to the hospital by Officer Strobel.
Officers Jeremy Welch and Troy Wiltshire (Central Los Angeles Area) were presented with a Gold Medal of Valor for taking brave and decisive action to stop a wrong-way driver. In the early morning hours of March 10, 2022, the CHP received multiple reports of a vehicle traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 in Los Angeles County. With the patrol car’s lights and siren activated, the officers initiated a traffic break to slow the vehicle behind them. As the wrong-way vehicle quickly closed in, the officers realized the driver was not slowing down or reacting to the patrol vehicle’s lights and siren. Officers Welch and Wiltshire made the split-second decision to protect the innocent motorists behind them by deliberately maneuvering the patrol car directly into the path of the wrong-way vehicle, which was traveling 90-100 mph. The maneuver, and subsequent impact, successfully halted the wrong-way vehicle’s momentum, saving the other motorists from injury and potential death. Both the wrong-way driver and the officers were transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. The driver was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.
Sergeant William Fitzgerald and Officers Christopher Williams and Kasey Simas (Westminster Area) were presented with a Silver Medal of Valor for swift and valorous action to prevent a distraught individual from harming himself and others. On May 7, 2022, the sergeant and two motorcycle officers responded to the call of a possible suicidal jumper on Interstate 5, at the State Route 91 transition road in Orange County. As the officers spoke with the man who was in distress, he suddenly climbed atop the concrete barrier wall and attempted to jump off a 100-foot transition road to the freeway below. Officers Williams and Simas quickly grabbed hold of him and, with the assistance of Sergeant Fitzgerald, pulled the man to safety.
“Every day, the members of the CHP put their lives on the line,” added Commissioner Duryee. “These incidents are examples of a day where their commitment to public service led them to perform great acts of heroism. For that dedication, we are forever grateful.”
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
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