NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) - A day at the playground became a nightmare for a Newark mother. Her family was at Branch Brook Park late afternoon on Monday when she noticed her daughter was missing.
"When the mother realized the child was missing -- she was playing with the other child and some neighbors and some additional kids," said Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura. "When she looked, all of a sudden, as 4-year-olds sometimes will do, she just disappeared."
That frantic mom called the police, and an Essex County Sheriff's Officer arrived almost immediately.
"Right away, he got on his radio and notified a unit that was nearby to come over and give him a hand," said Fontoura.
As they were looking around, the mom spotted her daughter's scooter just down the hill from the playground. There was no sign of the toddler until she got to the lake.
"She sees the child sort of floating, half submerged in the lake itself, which is rather deep at that location - at least 10 or 12 feet it gets into," said Fontoura.
The mom dove in to get her. She was followed by the officer, who already called for an ambulance. The officer carried the child back to shore.
"He gets out - he sees the child is not breathing, is not conscious, so he immediately begins CPR," said Fontoura.
As two other officers arrived, they decided there was no time to wait for the ambulance, and the hospital was just five minutes away.
"They put the child in the radio and continued the CPR procedure and took her to the hospital," said Fontoura.
The girl was taken to University Hospital, where Sheriff's Officers periodically check up on her. The girl was still fighting for her life at the last check, but they said doctors were optimistic.
Fontoura said his office is praying for a full recovery and commends the heroic actions of his officers.
"Police work is all about being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing," said Fontoura. "These officers - we're very proud of them, and they did the right thing."
