Video: Florida police officer who can’t swim saves baby from drowning in pond

On Tuesday, Florida law enforcement Bodycam footage released of a female officer who heroically and unhesitatingly jumps into a detention pond to save a drowning baby even though she couldn’t swim, Fox News Digital reported.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer Me’Atia Sanderson was hailed as a hero for risking her own life to save the child.

“Sanderson, who cannot swim herself, entered the pond to retrieve the child without a second’s hesitation and performed CPR until relieved by other responding officers,” the sheriff’s office said.

Sanderson, who joined the force in March 2019, was the first officer to arrive at the scene on June 9, according to authorities. The sheriff’s office released the officer’s bodycam footage for the first time earlier this week.

Footage showed the officer arriving at an apartment complex, exiting her vehicle and sprinting toward the detention pond behind the buildings. As she approached the pond, desperate passersby warned that the child was still in the water.

“Help! Over here,” a woman can be heard yelling at the officer.

Then Sanderson asked the woman, “Where’s the baby?”

The woman replied that the child was under water and pointed to the pond.

“He’s down there somewhere,” the woman said.

Without hesitation, the officer jumped into the water to save the drowning child. The camera was then completely submerged under water for a few moments while the officer rescued the baby.

As soon as the child was removed from the pond, the officer began CPR.

“Come on, baby,” Sanderson is heard saying as he performs life-saving procedures on the infant.

Moments later, two other officers arrived at the scene and assisted Sanderson with CPR.

The sheriff’s department explained that Capt. Christopher Scott and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department wrote a letter acknowledging Sanderson for their “quick and decisive decision to go into the retention pond.”

“Her actions, which put her own life at risk, undoubtedly saved the child’s life,” the department noted.

Content Warning: Obscenity