Glassport couple awarded medal for saving Hempfield native in 2022 at Yough River Lake outflow

Jim Harrold had been struggling for some time when Gayla Norelli spotted him in the Youghiogheny River Lake outflow.

She pointed the fisherman out to her husband — it looked like he was in trouble.

“He was just splashing, trying to push himself up,” Guy Norelli recalled Friday.

He took off over a railing, into the water and dashed over large boulders along shore while Gayla Norelli grabbed four life rings that were around the area where they were fishing on Sept. 2, 2022.

As Guy Norelli, 68, got closer he could see the fisherman face down in the water. He grabbed Harrold’s shoulder, flipped him over and started pulling him to shore.

By that time, Pedro Delgado, who heard 65-year-old Gayla Norelli’s screams, had gotten in the water to help. The men got Harrold onto one of the rings and did chest compressions.

Harrold started to breathe.

He remembers looking up at Delgado — “He was exhausted,” said Harrold, 75. Guy Norelli was, too.

“This was a good story,” said Vince Klinkner, resource manager at the Youghiogheny River Lake facility, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Very lucky to have the story we have today, not always the way it happens.”

The Norellis, of Glassport, were recognized Friday in Somerset County by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with a public service commendation medal for their heroism and courage to save Harrold’s life. Delgado, of Greensburg, who was not available for the event, will receive the same award, Klinkner said.

The lake and outflow are just outside of Confluence. Water from the reservoir there can be released to control the flow downstream in Ohiopyle.

That’s exactly what was happening when the Norellis headed out on Friday morning to beat the rush of Labor Day visitors. It turned out to be a terrible day to fish — the water was high and it was loud, Guy Norelli kept getting his line snagged. They were alone until Harrold, whose family is originally from Hempfield, and one of his friends got there and split up on different sides of the outflow.

Water got into Harrold’s waders and the current kept taking him deeper.

“I just said ‘Well, this is it,” he said Friday. “I basically gave up.”

Harrold, of Seven Springs, started seeing a white light, but that quickly changed.

“This guy right here, he saved me, he gave me at least two more years, hopefully more,” Harrold said

“So far,” Guy Norelli joked.

The two couples, including Barbara Harrold, have become friends and usually get together a few times a year. They looked over the site where the rescue happened together on Friday.

The water was much calmer than on that fateful day, they agreed. Guy and Gayla Norelli said they didn’t have time to be scared during the rescue, even though Guy admitted he isn’t a good swimmer.

“We were just in overdrive,” she said.

Harrold still has those waders, though he hasn’t put them on since that day. He has returned to his fishing hobby, but only on small streams.

“I really thank this guy for what he did,” Harrold said to Guy Norelli. “You could’ve drowned also in the process.”