Dramatic moment cops rescue 4-year-old boy from drowning

By Leo Black via SWNS

This dramatic video shows the moment police rescued a four-year-old boy who was found stuck in a pond.

The child, who was wearing nothing but a nappy, was holding on to cattail reeds in order to stay afloat.

The bodycam footage shows officers from Hillsborough County in Florida wading into the pond and rescuing the child.

Police were alerted about the child just before 10:30 am on July 11 and Master Deputy Clarissa Brady and Deputy Arron Gibson responded to the call.

A local resident had seen the child running across the road into the pond in Valleyridge Court in Thonotosassa.

The rescue operation only took about 10 minutes and the child was returned to his family without any life-threatening injuries.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook: “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."

Phil Martello, Assistant Chief Communications Officer said: "We do know that the family had thought all their children were napping at the time and that the boy's bedroom door was near the back door of their trailer.

"The deputies had to go door to door in the trailer park near the pond. Within 40 minutes of deputies arriving on scene, they were able to track down the mother.

"The Department of Children and Families is working to determine if negligence played a role in this young boy's disappearance."

The investigation as to whether negligence was involved in the child's accident is ongoing.