A two-year-old girl is recovering after two Newark, N.J., police officers performed first aid on her after she nearly drowned in a backyard swimming pool.
Police responded to a call in the New Jersey city on Sunday afternoon in about 90 seconds and on arrival were greeted by the father.
“He came straight at us, and within a second of getting out of the vehicle, the child was in my arms,” officer Shaquille Johnson told ABC News.
WATCH: Police officer in Georgia revives choking baby
The girl had nearly drowned in the pool despite wearing a flotation device, according to a police statement provided to CBS News, and was being watched by a family friend. ABC News affiliate ABC 7 reports the girl became tangled in the inflatable toy she was using and could not lift her head out of the water.
Johnson and his partner, Malikul Aziz, began to perform first aid on the toddler, using firm slams on the child’s back between the shoulder blades in an effort to force out water.
“The only thing going through my mind was getting that child to breathe again,” Johnson told CBS. “She was gasping for air, actually unresponsive it appeared to be in her father’s arms.”
After some time doing so, the girl eventually begins to gasp and cry.
“Not only was it a breath for her, it was a breath for us as well, too, where we could say, ‘OK she’s in stable condition, she’s going to make it,” Aziz told ABC.
The girl was taken to hospital for a brief period of time and is now back at home with her family.
Comments