LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Body camera video captured the moments quick-thinking police officers came to the rescue of a 3-year-old girl who went into a lake in Lauderhill, preventing a potential tragedy.
Lauderhill Police officers responded to the area of 6200 S Falls Circle Drive at around 1 a.m. on Thursday.
Investigators said a Good Samaritan reported seeing a child running toward the lake from a parking lot.
“Where’s the kid at?” am officer is heard saying in bodycam video.
Upon arrival, Lauderhill Police Sgt. Joseph Nistor spotted the girl waist-deep in the cold water.
“Hold my – hold my stuff, hold it,” said Nistor in the bodycam video as he is seen running toward the water.
“Hey, buddy,” Nistor is seen saying to the girl in the bodycam video.
Nistor entered the lake to retrieve the child but became stuck in the muddy lakebed during the rescue, according to police.
“Give me your hand, Sarge,” an officer is heard telling Nistor in the bodycam video. “One, two, I’m going to throw you, all right? Three!”
Lauderhill Police Officers Ivan Perez and Nicholas Colon worked together to pull Nistor from the mud, ensuring the safety of both him and the child.
Nistor handed off the girl to another officer, and that officer helped free Nistor from the sticky mud.
“You good? You good, Sarge?” the officer is heard asking Nistor.
Once everyone was on dry land, the officers began to ask the girl for her information.
“What’s your name?” an officer is heard asking the 3-year-old.
The child was reunited with her mother, who showed up shortly after the rescue. She told officers her daughter had wandered off.
Fire rescue personnel evaluated the girl at the scene. Police said her parents took her to a hospital as a precaution.
Lauderhill Police Chief Constance Stanley urged parents to take this scary situation as a lesson to teach their children about water safety and as a reminder to keep their children supervised whenever they are near a body of water.
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