MIAMI, FL– On Friday, July 10th, a four-year-old boy was saved from drowning by Miami-Dade police officers, after the boy jumped into a canal to try and save his mother from drowning.
On 7/10/20, officers from our Intracoastal District responded to a call regarding several people drowning in the canal. A four year old child had jumped into the water to try to save his mother. The mother appeared to be intoxicated and refused to comply with rescue attempts. pic.twitter.com/Vb9pbye6Kd
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) August 10, 2020
According to reports, around 3:30 a.m., Miami-Dad police officers responded to a call of several people drowning in a canal at the back of a property. Once on scene, responding officers observed the mother and her child in the canal.
Immediately, one of the officers, Officer Sergio Cordova, positioned himself on the side of the canal while another officer, Officer Anthony Martin, held his belt and legs so Cordova could try and reach the mother and child in the water.
After numerous attempts, officers successfully grabbed ahold of the child’s arms, pulling him to safety. Fearing that the mother may not be able to determine if she was in need of assistance, officers tossed a lifeguard ring buoy into the water and pulled her to safety #MDPDproud
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) August 10, 2020
According to the responding officers, the mother appeared to be intoxicated and would not comply with the rescue attempts. While holding her son, the mother pushed away from the officers and both of them began to briefly disappear underneath the murky water.
Still in position, Officer Cordova was able to grab the boy’s arm and pull him out of the water. Once the child was safely out of the water, Cordova continued to plead with the intoxicated mother to grab his hands so she could be pulled from the water.
The Miami-Dade Police Department reported that another officer tossed a lifeguard ring buoy into the water, and pulled the mother to safety. They feared she might have also been under the influence of drugs and unable to determine if she was in need of help.
Y’all should be posting this asap. Not a month later. Heroes need be recognized and awarded. Glad there was a positive outcome for mother and baby
— TheSemiPositiveSoFloDriver (@TSPSFdriver) August 10, 2020
Officer Cordova, who has been with the department for a little more than two years, said in a statement:
“Thank God that we arrived on time because when we were there every second counted.”
He added:
“He said that he saw mom going into the water and at that point he went after her. And the 4-year-old trying to save his mom, he just jumped into the water not knowing what he was going to face.”
Officer Edwin Ramos, a 15-year veteran of the department was one of the four responding officers.
He said:
“We went in emergency mode. When we got there, we jumped the wall because there was no access to the backyard. At that point, we saw her in the middle of the lake screaming for help. We told her to come near us when we saw she was holding a baby.”
Officer Cordova added:
“I leaded forward trying to reach for the baby. In my mind all I had was, ‘I’ve got to get this baby out of the water.’”
Police did not specify how the mother ended up in the water, but said that the four-year-old boy jumped in to try and save her. Both the boy and the mother are okay. The mother was taken to Baker Acted following the rescue.
Back in June, Pensacola police officers saved a three-year-old girl found floating in a swimming pool. The responding officer, who was already in-route to a different disturbance call, was in the right place at the right time.
Witness a miracle. Officers Kyle Skipper and Robert Lindblom responding to a child who fell into a pool. This is extremely difficult to watch, but she made a full recovery. pic.twitter.com/vtc3ZxyxvU
— Pensacola Police (@PensacolaPolice) July 29, 2020
When PPD Officer Kyle Skipper heard dispatchers on his radio announce that a three-year-old girl had been found floating in a swimming pool near his location, he immediately turned his cruiser around and drove in her direction, with thoughts of his own daughter running through his mind.
He said:
“My daughter is 3-years-old too. On the way there, they put it out over the radio: “Three-year-old found floating in a pool.’ Yeah, I thought about it, I thought, ‘that’s the same age as my daughter.’”
Both Officer Skipper and Officer Robert Lindblom are credited with saving the life of the unconscious toddler. Body camera footage shows Skipper sprinting through the decorative shrubbery behind the residence on his way to the backyard pool.
He said:
“Of course I was thinking about my own daughter who is the same age, but at the same time, you have to forget that stuff. You have to compartmentalize it, you can’t dwell on it. If you do, that may be your half-second reaction time or your thought process that you need. You have to stay focused on the situation you’re in.”
Both officers could be seen on the camera footage crouching over the girl and tapping her back as she lay on her side near the pool. She was turning darker shades of purple with each second that passed. The officers performed CPR and prepared the automated external defibrillator.
The toddler finally took a small breath and the officers continued to coax the toddler with their words, and back patting, urging her to breath as they waited for the paramedics to arrive.
PPD spokes man Mike Wood said:
“The officers laid the child on her side in an attempt to keep her airway clear. The officers used their fingers to clear vomit from the child’s mouth and the child began breathing better and began to move.”
The little girl was transported to a local hospital where the attending pediatrician said that without the efforts of Skipper and Lindblom, she would not have survived the near-death experience.
She made a full recovery!! pic.twitter.com/cWPihJD6VF
— Pensacola Police (@PensacolaPolice) July 29, 2020
Here is another article from Law Enforcement Today about the heroic actions of police officers across the country:
WENATCHEE, WA– The heroic actions of two off-duty police officers helped rescue a 5-year-old boy who was being swept away by the heavy current of the Wenatchee River.
Tragedy AvertedKent Police Detective R. Gilcrist and King County Sheriff’s Deputy B. Johnson worked together to save…
Posted by Kent Police Department on Monday, August 3, 2020
Kent Police Department (KPD) Detective Rick Gilcrist and King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Deputy B. Johnson were vacationing with their families near the river when they saw a child floating down the river by himself in a panic.
The young boy was floating downstream in the fast moving and frigid water. Without hesitation, both men jumped into the river to help save the boy. They fought the current and were able to reach the child and pull him safely to shore.
A witness of the heroic event said:
“They calmed the panicking child in the middle of the rapidly flowing river for a few minutes, fighting the current and swimming to the shore until the father arrived.”
The witness added:
“The river was moving at such a swift pace, I have no doubt that without decisive action, quick thinking, and lack of hesitation these two men showed, while others stood by and watched, the child would have been swept away and ultimately drowned.”
“The actions of both of these men deserve to be recognized and commended as they reflect greatly upon not only their own personal character, but that of the departments’ that employ them.”
— Kent Reporter (@kentreporter) August 4, 2020
According to the Kent Police Facebook post, Gilcrist will receive a life-saving award for his efforts. The post reiterated:
“We are thankful that even when off-duty, our officers regularly show the best character, the bravest actions, and a compassion for those in need. This near tragedy was averted by their selfless character leading to swift actions. Their character is why they became police officers in the first place.”
In July, an off-duty police officer saved a 4-year-old girl from drowning. In Rockland County, New York, a mother gratefully thanked Clarkstown police officer Paul Munding for saving her daughter from a possible drowning.
The mother, Carly Shaffer and officer Munding were both attending a neighborhood pool party when Ella, 4, was briefly left unattended on the pool’s shallow stairs, crying out for help. Shaffer said:
“My heart was in my stomach as I was running to her, watching her bob up and down in the water, choking, but Munding got there first.”
She said he dove straight into the pool, still wearing his shoes and pulled Ella to safety. She said:
“He did it for a kid he didn’t even know. A kid he’s not related to. A kid he’s never met. He saved my kid’s life and I have no idea how to ever thank this man. She was taking in water and surely would have drowned.”
In a Facebook post, Shaffer detailed the scary events as well as the heroic actions of officer Munding, calling him a hero and sharing her appreciation.
Great job Officer Munding! You’ve made the department very proud.
Posted by Clarkstown Police Department on Sunday, July 5, 2020
In March, an off-duty police officer saved a 7-year-old from drowning at a pool party. According to WQAD8, Officer Whitni Pena of the Mustcatine Police Department was awarded the life saver award for her heroic actions.
IN THE NEWS: Muscatine Police officer saves life of 7-year-old boy. https://t.co/OHySCU3GjS pic.twitter.com/Zb8GOXdgEC
— City of Muscatine (@CityofMuscatine) March 5, 2020
Officer Pena performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. The child, Kaysen Simonsen was taken to Iowa City and given a clean bill of health. Officer Pena has not stopped checking in on him since the incident. Simonsen said:
“She was texting me at the hospital and she said, ‘there was definitely a guardian angel there’ and I said, yeah that was you.”
Officer Pena got to see Simonsen again. She said:
“He gave me a big hug and said thank you. You could just see the light in his eyes.”
In Nassau County, an off-duty police officer helped save the life of an 80-year-old woman. The elderly woman fell into the water and got trapped under a dock at the Wantagh Park Marina. The off-duty officer was walking by as the woman was starting to drown.
The off-duty officer ripped up the boards of the dock and held the woman’s head above water while he waited for more help. The elderly woman was alert and conscious when she was taken to the hospital.
Here is another article from Law Enforcement Today about heroic actions of off-duty police officers who continue to protect and serve:
COCOA BEACH, FL – Last Thursday, July 16, an off-duty Cocoa Beach Police Officer saved a little boy from almost being attacked by a shark.
The shark appeared to be a juvenile white tip shark. The boy was boogie-boarding when Officer Adrian Kosicki noticed a shark swimming dangerously close to the boy. Adrian immediately ran into the water to pull the boy, who was unaware of the shark, to safety.
The Cocoa Beach Police & Fire posted the video on their facebook page and said:
“Adrian made the decision to quickly enter the water and pull the boy from the surf as the shark began to get dangerously close.”
Adrian was out with his wife for a walk on the pier when they noticed the boy and the shark.
Bystanders shouted:
“Hey, buddy! Hey, there’s a shark right there. There he is!”
Adrian, the quick-thinking officer, jumped into the shallow waters and pulled the boogie-boarding boy to safety. The shark was within a couple feet of both Adrian and the boy.
An off-duty police officer pulls a young boogie boarder out of the water as a shark gets near him in Cocoa Beach, Florida😳
— Chloe Salsameda (@ChloeSalsameda) July 20, 2020
It was difficult to determine the species of shark at first. The Cocoa Beach Police Department said:
“We’re certainly not marine biologists, educated and trained to differentiate between the various species of sharks, their respective feeding habits, and aggressiveness near swimmers. We just do what we do best – protect the public from harm.”
Both Adrian and the boy were not harmed and are doing fine after the close-call.
LAD Bible News reported that the International Shark Attack File – who would know what type of shark the boy was saved from- provided statistics stating that Florida is the leader in shark attacks and New Smyrna Beach is the world capital of shark attacks.
Cocoa Beach Police Officer Adrian Kosicki is being called a hero for pulling the boy to safety.
The boy’s name was not reported.
Here’s another story of an officer saving a life brought to you by Law Enforcement Today.
A Sterling Heights police officer recently saved a baby girl choking on something blocking her airway.
Video shows the officer pulling up to a home and telling dispatch that the family was approaching him in the driveway. Officer Cameron Maciejewski exited his vehicle and asked what was going on. He was met with a frantic mother, crying hysterically, and rightfully so.
He said, “OK. OK. Calm down. Let me see the baby.”
He then took the child and performed back thrusts in an effort to clear the obstruction and get the infant breathing again.
After only a few seconds of performing the blows, the baby girl coughed up the obstruction, and began to cry. The officer, who remained calm and in control informed the family that she was going to be just fine.
“She’s got a pulse and she is breathing.”
The baby was then turned over to the Sterling Heights Fire Department who transported the baby to the hospital for evaluation.
In a statement, the department said:
“If it wasn’t for Officer Maciejewski’s quick, calm, lifesaving actions, the outcome of this incident could have been tragically different. Not only did the officer save the baby, but the officer did an outstanding job consoling the family.”
“In a second video posted by Sterling Heights Police Department on Wednesday, Maciejewski said it was ‘good training’ that gave him the skills he needed to save the baby.
“‘Once I arrived, training kicked in and I was able to relax a little bit and focus on the health of the baby and blackout what was happening with the parents and family around me,’ he said.”
All in a day’s work for the men and women of law enforcement, even as they have politicians and people in their own communities trying their hardest to defund them.
Had there been no law enforcement in Sterling Heights, Michigan, one has to wonder if the outcome might have been drastically and sadly different.
While this type heroism rarely makes the national media spotlight, day after day, night after night, members of our emergency responder community save lives.
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