DELTONA, Fla. – A Florida sheriff’s deputy ran through the woods, ripped off his bulletproof vest and fell into a lake after hearing the screams of a missing 5-year-old autistic boy.
Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy Wes Brough picked up the boy and the child put his arms tightly around Brough’s neck as they made their way back to dry land Tuesday night in Deltona, which is near Daytona. Beach, on the Atlantic coast of Florida.
“I really thanked God for putting me in that position, one and two, for allowing that kid to be above the water and breathing well when we got there,” Brough said. “This is all praise to God for putting me in the right place at the right time.”
Deputies responded to a call of a missing child around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The father told officers the child had escaped through a second-floor door, which set off an alarm, according to an account of the incident published in sheriff’s Facebook page.
The family and neighbors began searching. Someone called 911.
Brough and several other deputies headed to a nearby lake after hearing the child was attracted to the water, the report said.
At around 7:48 p.m., Brough heard the boy’s voice and saw him holding a log in the water.
Sheriff’s officials said the boy’s family took several steps to secure the home, including setting an alarm on the door. This is what alerted them that the child had left the house.
Brough credited the training they received, including Autism Awareness Training, with preparing him to be ready for any situation. The rescue was captured on the deputy’s body camera.
“I have three children, one of whom is 5 years old,” Brough said. “So to have him hold me tightly like that, it felt like my own son holding me.”
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
