Boy was ‘kept afloat’ by weeds when deputies found him stuck in Florida pond, cops say
A 4-year-old nearly died when he waded through tall grass into a Florida pond and got entangled, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy, who has autism, was found after two deputies searching the water found him “being kept afloat by cattails,” officials said a news release.
It happened around 10:30 a.m. July 11, in a rural community northeast of Tampa, and video shows the toddler was virtually invisible in the shoulder-high grass.
“A concerned citizen had called 911 regarding a young child seen running across the street and into a nearby pond,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Two deputies arrived at the scene and immediately began searching the water. After thoroughly looking through the thick shrubs at the edge of the pond they located the boy, who was being kept afloat by cattails, and pulled him to safety.”
The search was more challenging due to the boy being non-verbal.
However, he could be heard whimpering as one deputy got in the water for a better view of the bank, video shows. The deputy was nearly submerged when the boy was discovered and handed off to another deputy.
The two rescuers were identified as Master Deputy Clarissa Brady, who joined the department in 2004, and Deputy Arron Gibson, who just graduated from the patrol deputy academy.
The identity of the child was not released. He was reunited with family after an examination determined he did not suffer life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the video “harrowing.”
“I shudder to think of the outcome if not for the tenacity and efforts of these deputies,” Chronister said in the release.
“We will now work with the Department of Children and Families to determine if negligence played a role in this young boy’s disappearance.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 4:30 AM with the headline "Boy was ‘kept afloat’ by weeds when deputies found him stuck in Florida pond, cops say."