Hometown Hero

Conner Crossley, in white zip-up pullover, stands by a window in Bull Hall and smiles.

Conner Crossley ’26 puts his learning to work in saving a life

Conner Crossley '26 speaking with mother of the person he saved from drowning at Turtle Beach, Florida.

Walking the shore of Turtle Beach in Sarasota, Florida, Conner Crossley ’26 was looking to enjoy some sunshine and relax to the sound of the waves crashing against the sand. He and his family were winding down a vacation planned around celebrating his great grandfather’s 97th birthday.

But for this Criminal Justice / Business dual major and aspiring New York State Trooper, any chance of finding peace and quiet along the beach that day would be short-lived.

“I’m watching the sunset when a woman comes down the beach and tells me her son is drowning,” Conner says.

Hearing this, he sprung into action and made a bee-line for the water, with his stepfather, Thomas Rodgers, close behind.

When the duo made their way 20-30 feet into the ocean, they quickly realized there wasn’t just one person in danger - three others were struggling in the water. While Rodgers made for the woman’s son, Conner went after one of the others.

“I swam to him and told him to grab my arm, but he didn’t speak any English,” he says.

It was a moment when Conner was especially glad he had opted for a Spanish class the prior semester. “I had taken Spanish in the Criminal Justice System with Adjunct Professor Susan Draves, and in addition to many verbs and adjectives, we learned body parts. So I was able to tell him to grab my leg, to take my arm. I used all of these basic Spanish phrases I learned in class to help this guy out.”

He describes the next thirty minutes as rough - combating huge waves, bad winds, and overall terrible conditions that made those waters all the harder, even for someone who grew up on a lake like he did.

“I was sinking, I was going under,” says Conner. “I’ve been a swimmer all my life and I was scared. I thought I could die.”

After roughly 30 minutes of struggling, they escaped the water and entered the waiting arms of the more than 40 members of the victim’s family.

“My step dad helped get the other guy out and a lifeguard ran in and rescued another person,” Conner says. “In the end, it turned out there were actually four people - one that was stuck even farther out than we were. He ended up passing away. It was really sad.”

In a terrible situation that could have ended even worse, Conner says he’s just thankful he was in the right place at the right time and able to help someone. A few hours later, after sunset, he and his family returned to the beach where they watched several helicopters circle above, numerous boats in the water shining their lights, all in search of the remaining victim’s body, which would be found around 5 a.m. the next morning.

When Conner was walking the beach that following morning, a large number of reporters from various media outlets had descended upon the scene and were asking him questions about what had unfolded and his role in it.

The incident would go on to make headlines across the country, painting the young man and his step father as heroes. But in spite of the accolades, Conner maintains that he had just wanted to help. It’s the same passion for service that inspires him to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“After graduation, getting an MBA, then joining the State Police is the goal,” he says. I’ve always wanted to be a police officer ever since I was a little kid.”

It was the Criminal Justice program at Utica that allowed him to both pursue that dream while also remaining close to his home of Auburn, New York, where he grew up swimming in Skaneateles Lake and Owasco Lake.

“I lived there all my life and swam a lot. I’m a lake boy,” he says. “I originally thought I would go to a school down in the city, but the Criminal Justice program here at Utica is amazing and allowed me to stay somewhat close to my family.”

One of the things he says he loves the most about the program is the professors and the criminal justice background they each bring to the classroom.

“Greg Walsh, Musco Milner, Robert Swenszkowski, all the professors - they have extensive professional experience in their field, and I think that’s really important. I’ve learned a lot from a lot of good people here.”

Including some very useful - even life-saving - phrases in Spanish.