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Florida deputy dashes into pond to save missing 5-year-old boy with autism: 'I got him!'

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Updated  August 8, 2024 8:35am EDT
Volusia County
FOX 35 Orlando

5-year-old with autism rescued from Deltona pond

A 5-year-old boy with autism was saved from a pond by a Volusia Sheriff's deputy, with the rescue fully recorded on the deputy's body camera. (Video: Volusia Sheriff's Office

DELTONA, Fla. - A heart-stopping search in Deltona ended triumphantly thanks to a Volusia Sheriff's Office deputy who pulled a missing 5-year-old boy from a pond on Tuesday night. 

It all happened on Valmont Lane in Deltona at around 7:30 p.m. The boy's father called 911 for help after his son with autism had escaped through a door on the second floor of their home, triggering an alarm, according to deputies. 

Family members began to search for the young boy, but with no luck. Deputies also helped look around the house and the immediate area, to no avail. 

Deputies learned that the boy has autism, is non-verbal and is attracted to water, so they sprung into action and checked bodies of water in the neighborhood, the incident report said. 

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Deputy Brough dashed through the woods on the hunt for the missing boy, as seen on body-worn camera footage from the sheriff's office. After hearing his voice, he hustled into the water and found the boy hanging on to a log to stay afloat. 

A 5-year-old boy with autism was saved from a pond by a Volusia Sheriff's deputy, with the rescue fully recorded on the deputy's body camera. (Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office)

"He's out here somewhere … I got him, I got him!" the deputy is heard saying on the video footage. 

Deputy Brough carried the child back to land, where he was evaluated and reunited with his family. 

A 5-year-old boy with autism was saved from a pond by a Volusia Sheriff's deputy, with the rescue fully recorded on the deputy's body camera. (Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office)

No family members are facing criminal charges as deputies determined they had "taken numerous attempts to secure the residence" – like the alarm on the door that immediately notified the family that the boy had left the house, according to the incident report.  

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"Like all VSO deputies, Deputy Brough has received Autism Awareness Training to help prepare for a wide variety of calls involving people with autism, including missing children," the Volusia Sheriff's Office said on social media. "Great job to all involved on this call!"

Deputy Brough joined Good Day Orlando on Thursday morning and opened up about the whole experience. You can watch the full interview below:

Deputy who saved 5-year-old opens up about rescue

Volusia Sheriff's Office Deputy Wes Brough joined Good Day Orlando to open up about his rescue of a 5-year-old boy with autism who was found in a pond near his home in Deltona.

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