Naperville police officers help rescue a family whose car crashed into a retention pond on Jan. 2, 2024.Photo:Naperville Police Dept.
Naperville Police Dept.
On Wednesday, theNaperville Police Department(NPD) posted bodycam footage of the Jan. 2rescue on their Facebook page. In the video, officers are seen racing to the submerged car and then wading through the waters to help a stranded man, a woman and a 2-year-old toddler.
After an initial struggle to open the car doors that required smashing one of the vehicle’s windows, the officers were able to remove the trapped passengers safely.
“Their ability to remain calm and do what needed to be done to help the frantic family is commendable!” the NPD said of the three officers involved in the rescue via the Facebook post.
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In a statement to PEOPLE Friday, Naperville police spokesman Rick Krakow said that police officers and firefighters were dispatched to 3015 Cedar Glade Drive for a report of a vehicle that had crashed into a retention pond. When authorities arrived, they saw a vehicle that was partially submerged about 20-30 feet from the shoreline.
“After a quick assessment of the situation,” said Krakow, “the three officers decided they needed to enter the frigid waters to rescue the occupants. Upon getting to the vehicle the officers discovered three occupants, an adult male and female in the front seats and a toddler in the backseat behind the driver.
“The occupants were unable to open the doors or unlock them,” he added. “The officer’s quick decision to break a rear window of the vehicle seemingly allowed pressure to be released from within the car, as the doors were then able to be opened.”
Officer Courtney Madden, one of three officers involved in the rescue, toldABC affiliate WLSthat “the closer we got, we could see [the child’s] ponytail sticking out over the seat, so we just had to go in and get her.”
According to authorities, perCBS affiliate WBBM, the driver of the car may have mistaken the gas pedal for the brake pedal, which resulted in the vehicle going into the pond.
Robert Gross, a witness, toldWGNthat he saw the car “charging right down to the pond, and I knew something bad had happened right there.”
“Those officers were heroes, I mean people, they get a bad break but they were absolute heroes, didn’t stop to think,” Gross added. “They just ran into that cold water.”
“The Chief and all of the members of the Naperville Police Department are proud of our officers’ quick response and selfless actions on that day,” shared Krakow. “We applaud and thank them for their great work.”
source: people.com
