Volusia County deputies were responding to a missing person report when an officer heard a boy’s cry coming from a lake.
What happened next was a frantic foot race, as the officer could be seen sprinting to reach the child, stranded in the lake.
Initial Report
The boy was first reported missing by his father as it was beginning to get dark on Tuesday night.
The report was made around 7:30 in the evening by the boy’s father in Deltona, Volusia County.
Second Floor Disappearance
The boy had escaped the family flat via a door on the second story of the building, and may have been saved by some safety precautions taken by his parents.
The parents were alerted to his exit by a warning system they had set up on the door, which prompted them to look for him and subsequently inform the police of his disappearance.
Police Response
Police responded quickly, searching the house before turning their attention outwards to the surrounding area.
Aside from the time of escape, they had little to go on other than the parents telling them that the boy was attracted to water.
Geography of Deltona Neighborhood
When the deputies were informed of the boy’s attraction to water, that may have helped them focus the search.
The Valmont Lane area contains a number of lakes and ponds, so it was important to prioritize those spots, especially due to the danger they could pose to a small child.
Dramatic Discovery
Officers were out patrolling the shore of a large lake, when one of the deputies, Wes Brough, heard a voice from the lake.
Believing it was the child they were searching, he shouted out: “He’s out here somewhere. I got him! I got him!”
Clinging to Log
The boy was the child they had been searching for, but he had become stranded offshore, and sounded frightened.
He was clinging onto a log in the lake, to prevent himself from falling into the water when the police discovered him.
Sprinted Into Action
The deputy reacted immediately, sprinting into the lake to rescue the stranded child, and threw off his jacket as he went.
Brough reached the boy, who immediately grabbed him tightly, and the pair returned to shore safely.
Rapid Response
The police responded promptly, and the whole incident was over in the space of around 20 minutes.
The initial call was made at around 7:30pm, while the deputy’s actions at the lake occurred at 7:48pm.
Right Place at the Right Time
Brough was widely praised for his heroic actions, and, when interviewed after, thanked God for “putting me in the right place at the right time.”
He was clearly emotionally affected by the incident, being a father himself, and said that “to have him hold onto me tightly like that, it really felt like it was my own kid holding onto me.”
