"The last thing I saw before diving in was her head going under water. Never have I swam that fast before": Biohazard's Billy Graziadei saved a young woman from drowning in California yesterday

Billy Graziadei
(Image credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

Biohazard vocalist/guitarist Billy Graziadei has revealed that he saved a young woman's life in California yesterday after she got into difficulty while rafting with her boyfriend on the River Kern.

The New York-raised, California-based hardcore musician shared the story in a post on Facebook.

He writes: "A buddies son looked at me today while swimming across the raging Kern river and said 'help'. I dove right in and brought him to shore without a second of hesitation.

"When I got back to shore, with adrenalin still pumping, a young girl floating in the middle of the river looking at me, with eyes locked onto her as I ran to the waters edge yelling to her if she was ok, she quickly screamed no! I dove and swam to her as quickly as I could. The last thing I saw before diving in was her head going under water. Never have I swam that fast before. When I reached her, I had her hold onto my shoulders to rest while I tried to navigate the insane current speeding down the Kern river valley. She said was dizzy and couldn’t swim. I quickly decided not to risk crossing the current again and decided to bring her safty on the other side of the river so she could rest while I evaluated her and my next move.

"When we arrived to the other shore, I calmed her down and reassured her that she would be ok. She told me she hit her head while coming down the rapids with her boy friend, both on the same raft. I asked her where her boyfriend was and she pointed to a rock ledge above us. I asked him if he was ok and he calmly replied yes while not breaking his composure. They [sic] oddly passive dude sat there and let me save his girl friends life without lifting a finger or showing any real concern. Maybe he was in shock, but most likely I thought to myself he is just from a different generation than I am.

"I made sure he was ok, sent him across the river in his raft with someone else towing him while I gave attention to his GF. I got her a life vest, put her in the raft and brought her safely back to the other side of the river where she was evaluated my a local nurse. I’m #thankful to have been there and focused enough to see these two situations unfold before my eyes."

Biohazard fans have praised Graziadei for his quick thinking and bravery.

One writes, "You are always in service, regardless if its soul or physical body to save, help, support. Huge respect! Great role model!"

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.