Carnegie Medal given to Hackettstown woman who saved girl from pit

HACKETTSTOWN – A Hackettstown woman who saved a 3-year-old girl from drowning in an 11-foot-deep hole last June is receiving a prestigious medal for her heroism.

Luz Jimenez, 26, of Hackettstown, has been honored with the Carnegie Medal, which is awarded to individuals from throughout the United States and Canada who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others. It is administered by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.

Douglas Chambers, director of external affairs for the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, said Jimenez's story was brought to the commission's attention through an article posted in the Daily Record following the incident.

"She deserves the award because she, like all of our awardees, risked her life to save the life of another person," Chambers said. "While each rescue is unique, the common factor is life risk."

Jimenez saved 3-year-old Alyson Machigua from drowning in June 2014 after she was playing in the backyard of a home and the ground beneath her collapsed.

Machigua fell 11 feet through an abandoned cesspool, down a dark pit into 30 inches of water, which was up to her neck.

Jimenez, then a caretaker for a woman living next door, heard the screams of Machigua's mother and ran outside.

"She was screaming, saying nothing," Jimenez said. "She thought she was going to lose her baby."

Jimenez looked through the small hole created by Machigua's fall and could not see her, only hear her.

Jimenez, worried the child would drown before first responders arrived, grabbed an extension cord and lowered herself into the pit.

Responding Hackettstown Detective Aaron Perkins – who could not fit in the hole - held the other end of the extension cord for her once he arrived.

"He told me it wasn't safe for me to go in there," Jimenez said. "I told him it wasn't safe for the baby either."

Jimenez landed in the cold, muddy water, grabbed Machigua and held her for several minutes until firefighters arrived with a ladder, at which point the pair escaped the pit.

Machigua was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but uninjured largely due to Jimenez's heroic action. Jimenez suffered skin irritation but recovered.

Jimenez is one of 20 recently honored by the Commission, including three who died during their acts of heroism. She joins a total of 9,757 awardees since the Medal's inception in 1904.

According to Commission Chair Mark Laskow each awardee or their survivors will also receive a financial grant.

The commission, which was created by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie more than 111 years ago, has given out a total of $36.9 million in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and assistance to recipients.

Jimenez was awarded a grant of $6,000 for her actions.

To nominate someone for the Carnegie Medal, people can write the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, 436 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1101, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, or call 1-800-447-8900.

Go to www.carnegiehero.org or facebook.com/carnegiehero for more information including descriptions of the other medal recipients' acts of heroism.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@dailyrecord.com