Authorities released body camera footage showing the dramatic rescue of a 5-year-old boy with autism from a Florida pond.
The incident occurred in Deltona on Tuesday, Aug. 6, said the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post, adding that deputies responded to a report of a missing child at about 7:30 p.m. local time.
Police said the boy’s father told deputies that his son left the house through a second-story door, which set off an alarm. Family members quickly searched for the boy and dialed 911.
“Deputies searched the house and the immediate area with no luck,” the sheriff’s office said. “But knowing that the 5-year-old had autism and was attracted to water, deputies began checking bodies of water near the neighborhood.”
Volusia Sheriff’s Deputy Wes Brough and others then headed toward a pond a few blocks away, per authorities.
As seen in the body camera footage, Brough ran into the pond and waded through the water as he heard a voice and spotted the boy hanging onto a log.
“He started making noises to get my attention, and he was holding onto a dead tree stump that was barely sticking out of the water,” Brough said of the child, per NBC affiliate WESH.
The deputy carried the child in his arms and brought him back to land. He then asked the boy his name and if he wanted to see his parents.
The sheriff’s office later said the boy was medically cleared and returned to his family.
“It was confirmed the family had taken several measures to secure the house, including the alarm on the door that immediately alerted them the boy had gone missing,” per the sheriff’s office statement.
The department went on to praise Brough and the other officers who took part in the rescue.
“Like all VSO deputies, Deputy Brough has received Autism Awareness Training to help prepare for a wide variety of calls involving people with autism, including missing children. Great job to all involved on this call!”
The sheriff’s office also shared a video interview with Brough following the rescue on Wednesday, Aug. 7.
“I thank God a lot for putting me in that position,” the deputy said, “and for allowing that kid to be above water and breathing fine when we got there.”
Brough added that he has three children of his own, including a 5-year-old. “So to have him hold on to me tightly like that, it felt like he was my own kid holding on to me,” he said.