PHOENIX, Az. (WSVN) — A dramatic rescue was caught on camera as an officer acted quickly and rescued an elderly man from fierce flood waters to safety.
After a long search through floodwaters, these are the moments when Phoenix officer, Cameron Kellogg found 83-year-old Daniel Abbotts trapped by the water against a fence.
“No, no I’m just holding onto you,” said Kellogg.
The swift water swept Abbotts away when he and his wife, Karen, were in the wash behind their house, clearing debris out for the upcoming storm.
“There was a big rush of water. It looked like a river coming down the street here, and when it reached my wash it went up over it,” said Abbotts. “It came over like a waterfall. She went under and I thought, ‘holy geez.’ I never saw her again. I thought she drowned.”
The current was so strong that Abbotts said the water was trying to push him under the fence.
“Every time I went to catch my breath, under I went. I got a mouthful of that dirty, filthy nasty water and I’m thinking, ‘ugh,’ said Abbotts. “Then it goes through your mind, you know, somebody has septic systems and stuff like that.”
After another rush of water carried Abbotts away. Finally, officer Kellogg found him and started coming up with a plan on how to get him to safety.
“Just as I got there, he got there,” said Abbotts. “Thank God he saved me from drowning because I kept going under.”
“He did all the hard work, so I just kind of got to where I could get to him,” said Kellogg.
Both of them traveled over obstacles and were finally able to get to dry land.
Daniel was reunited with his wife, and they both said they are thankful they live to tell the tale.
“Then I realized, holy geez that was close, and I was so glad to see that she wasn’t, and me too,” said Abbotts.
While they both survived, Abbotts suffered cuts and a broken leg.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.