Phoenix man to receive Carnegie hero award posthumously for 2021 actions

PHOENIX – A Phoenix man who died trying to save an unconscious coworker in a hazardous material situation has been awarded a Carnegie Hero medal, the commission announced Monday.

Roberto Y. Longoria, 42, of Phoenix, was among the first 15 recipients of 2023, the Carnegie Hero Fund said in a press release.

The award is given to civilians who “risk themselves to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others,” the commission said.

Longoria died Aug. 29, 2021, after he went into a chemical tanker trailer while working at an Avondale truck wash to help Jose Perez, 32, who was suffocating, according to a press release.

Both men died from exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas, Carnegie said.

The younger man had gone into the trailer to fix a slow drain but eventually became unresponsive.

Longoria dropped into the trailer from a ceiling hatch, after calling 911 and grabbing a respirator. He collapsed shortly thereafter.

The Avondale Police Department said at the time the men were pronounced dead at the scene near 99th Avenue and Interstate 10.

Each of the recipients or their survivors will receive a financial grant, the sum of which was not disclosed.

Follow @KTAR923