Florida police released body camera footage showing officers rescuing a 5-year-old boy with autism after he ran away from his home on Tuesday.
In a tweet, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office congratulated Deputy Wes Breaux for “locating and rescuing a 5-year-old child who was missing from a pond.”
The video shows officers gathering around a pond to search for the boy, eventually becoming alerted by his babbling.
“Coco?” Braff asked, hearing a sound. “Hey, he's around here somewhere.”
“Got him! Got him,” the officer said, sprinting toward the boy in the pond. As the officer waded into the water, he removed his gear, which contained his body camera. (RELATED: Heartwarming video shows Florida police officer dealing with runaway autistic child)
Let's applaud Deputy Wes Breaux who found and rescued a 5-year-old child who had gone missing from a pond last night. @CityofDeltonaFL pic.twitter.com/GMdF6MK6rL
— Borussia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) August 7, 2024
Another officer's body camera footage showed the moment Braff jumped into the water.
Brough picked up the child and carried him back to shore.
“Are you OK? What's your name?” Braff asked the boy, who was wearing a shirt that said “Coco.” Another officer asked the boy if he wanted to “see his parents.”
The sheriff's office said on Twitter that the boy was reported missing by his father, who said his “son ran away from the home through a second floor door, which set off the alarm.”
Police were dispatched to a call on Valmont Lane in Deltona around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The boy's father told police his 5-year-old son had run away from the home through a second-floor door, which set off the alarm. The family immediately began a search, called neighbors for help and called 911.
— Borussia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) August 7, 2024
Police initially searched the body of water and the area surrounding the pond because they knew the “5-year-old has autism and is drawn to water.”
Officers searched the home and surrounding area but found nothing. But because they knew the 5-year-old had autism and was drawn to water, they began searching nearby bodies of water. Bluff officers headed to a pond a few blocks away, behind Toluca Court.
— Borussia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) August 7, 2024
The boy was found, given a “medical clearance” and “returned to his family.”
At approximately 7:48 p.m., Deputy Brough heard a voice and found the boy in the water clinging to a log. Deputy Brough jumped into the pond and carried the boy to shore, where he was given the go ahead and released back to his family.
— Borussia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) August 7, 2024
Water is appealing to people with autism for a number of reasons, including the fact that it provides a “multi-sensory experience” and immersion allows them to escape sensory overload. according to To the Florida Autism Society.
