TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida deputy is being hailed a hero after he rushed into a large pond to save a 5-year-old boy with autism who wandered away from home Tuesday night.
The family of the boy called 911 shortly after 7:30 p.m., when they were alerted to the boy's disappearance via an alarm they had set on a second-story door. Upon arrival, began by searching the home but soon focused on nearby ponds and lakes in the Valmont Lane neighborhood after learning the boy was attracted to water.
Body-camera footage shows Deputy Wes Brough searching near a pond near the family's home when he hears the child's voice.
"He's out here somewhere. I got him! I got him!" the deputy can be heard shouting to fellow officers.
The video then shows Brough dashing into the water once he spots the 5-year-old clinging to a log. Brough scoops up the boy and carries him to safety.
The sheriff's office said the 5-year-old was reunited with his family shortly afterward.
In a Facebook post accompanying the video, deputies also assured viewers that the family had indeed "taken several measures to secure the house," including installing the alarm system that had alerted them to the boy's disappearance.
When asked about the rescue, Deputy Brough said he was thankful to God for "putting me in the right place at the right time."
"I have three children of my own, one being a 5-year-old. So, to have him hold onto me, tightly like that, it really felt like it was my own kid holding onto me," Brough said in a reel shared by the sheriff's office.
Viewers on Facebook also heaped praise on Brough, calling him a "true hero" and lauding him for his dedication.
"This just brought tears to my eyes," one Facebook user wrote. "Way to go Deputy Brough and so many kudos to the family for having the alarm."
"So glad this was a happy ending," another said.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office, in its post, added that all deputies undergo Autism Awareness Training "to help prepare for a wide variety of calls, including missing children."
"Great job to all involved on this call," the department wrote.
