‘All glory to God’: Florida sheriff’s deputy saves missing 5-year-old from pond

The swift rescue of a 5-year-old autistic boy from a pond by sheriff’s deputies in Florida may have been a miracle.

Deputy Wes Brough spotted the boy Tuesday, just 20 minutes into a search after parents reported their child had escaped the house, said the Volusia Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post, which included bodycam footage showing the deputy rush to pick the boy out of the water.

“I thank God a lot – for putting me in that position, one, and allowing that kid to be above water and breathing fine when we got there,” Brough said the next day, in a video posted by the Sheriff’s Office to X. 

Deputies responded to a missing child report that had been called in by the parents around 7:30 p.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office. “The boy’s father told deputies his 5-year-old son escaped the house through a second-story door, which set off an alarm. The family immediately began looking, asked neighbors for help, and called 911.” 

When deputies didn’t immediately see the child in or near the home, they searched nearby bodies of water, alerted to the fact the boy was attracted to such places.

At 7:48 p.m., just 18 minutes into the search, Brough found and rescued the boy.

“Deputy Brough heard a voice and spotted the boy out in the water, hanging onto a log,” the Sheriff’s Office explained. “Deputy Brough jumped into the pond and carried the boy to dry land, where he was medically cleared and returned to his family.”

“It’s all glory to God … putting me in the right place at the right time,” Brough said, of being called an “angel” and a “hero.” “I have three children of my own, one being a 5-year-old, so to have him hold onto me tightly like that, it really felt like it was my own kid holding onto me.”