A heroic Florida teenager is being praised after he jumped into a lake, alongside a deputy, to rescue her five-year-old sister with autism.
The incident started when the young girl unknowingly wandered into a Florida lake. When deputies arrived at the scene, they were told that the five-year-old was seen near the lake, prompting one of the officials to jump a fence and run towards the water.
Teenager Jumps Into Lake To Rescue Sister
After he got to the lake where the young girl was, he saw her 17-year-old brother already in the waist-deep lake. He was seen clinging to a branch and rescuing his little sister, dragging her back to safety on land.
Body cam footage from the deputy who arrived at the scene showed the officer grabbing the teenage boy's hand. He then pulled him and his sister back onto land while the five-year-old girl was tightly clinging onto her brother, according to CBS12.
The rescue was made somewhat complicated when the five-year-old girl held onto a branch, preventing his brother from properly bringing her to land. She could be heard giggling in the background during the ordeal.
Following the incident, Pasco deputies are urging the public to consider the Safety Net Tracking program for children or loved ones who are susceptible to wandering around by themselves. The department has more information about the program on its website.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office commended the teenage boy for his heroic rescue of his little sister. The department's program was specifically designed for people who have autism, Alzheimer's, or other cognitive impairments, as they are more likely to walk around by themselves, WFLA reported.
A Good Samaritan
There was a similar incident when a good Samaritan in Florida rushed to rescue an 11-year-old autistic girl who fell into a lake. The girl was identified as Mia Garcia, who was with her little sister at Lakes Park in south Fort Myers to collect shells.
After the incident, Mia described the terrifying moments she experienced, saying that it felt like an alligator was going to come to her and drag her under the water. Her grandmother, Dawn Louchart, said that the girl knows how to swim but still struggled to get out of the lake because it was slimy.
She said they taught the young girl to scream if she needed help, which is what she did at the time she fell into the lake. The good Samaritan was Bridgett Addison, who was at a nearby pavilion when she heard the young girl's scream and quickly rescued her, as per KCBD.
