BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A Broken Arrow police officer is being called a hero after his quick response saved a young boy from drowning in a pond at Events Park.
Officer Zach Vick had just grabbed his morning coffee on May 27th, when he heard over dispatch about a possible drowning at Events Park. He didn't originally get dispatched, but happened to be about 2 miles away when the call came in.
"I immediately knew I needed to head that way because at that time I was right about 2 miles away, so I was fairly close, um, in a direct line shot," Vick said.
When Vick arrived at the scene, the water appeared calm until he spotted the boy struggling in the middle of the pond.
"The second I saw him in the middle of the pond, I could tell he couldn't swim. I could tell that he had started going under," Vick said.
Body camera footage captured the moments leading up to the rescue. A clip shows Vick taking off his patrol gear to jump in.
"So I actually dove out to him and then by the time I got to him, um. The water had gone down to about his wrist, so I was able to grab him and pick him up," Vick said.
Vick said the boy slipped away from home that morning. Throughout the rescue, one thought drove him forward.
"But every, every part of me was how do I get to him and how do I get him back to the shore," Vick said.
Vick safely got both of them back to shore. A bystander caught the rescue on their phone. He said the water left he and the boy cold, but not injured.
Now hailed as a hero, Vick said the experience reinforced his confidence in his training.
"It's a reassurance that if I get put in a situation, I know that my training is not only going to kick in, but that I'm going to be there to be able to help," Vick said.
The boy is safe and back home with his family.
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