Drone footage captures a missing five-year-old moments from drowning until an officer sprinted to the rescue

A five-year-old boy was struggling in a Minnesota pond when a police drone spotted him. This gave officers a crucial view of the emergency unfolding in the water.

Per WSAZ, the child, who has autism, had wandered away from his home without his family knowing. Good Samaritans spotted him in the water and called for help, prompting St. Paul police to launch a drone to locate him.

The footage in the report shows St. Paul Police Officer Adisak Sae Ma reaching the pond as the missing five year old was already in the water. Sae Ma later recounted the situation saying, “When I got there, he was treading water.”

The officer knew he had seconds to reach the boy

Sae Ma realized he had to act quickly. “I took off my gear, and I just went in there,” he said, entering the pond and reaching the boy before carrying him back toward shore.

The officer was able to scoop the child into his arms and wade back to safety. The entire rescue was captured by the police drone. The boy was then taken to a hospital to be checked out, bringing a frightening situation to a much safer conclusion.

Sae Ma later explained that he was scared he would not reach the child in time, as reported by WCSC. He also revealed that he had responded to a similar call in the past that ended differently, saying, “A lot of time we respond to that type of call, it’s already too late.”

The rescue highlighted how quickly St. Paul’s drone program can get eyes on an emergency. Sgt. Matt St. Sauver said the drone reached the scene two minutes before officers. This allowed police to see exactly where the child was and what he was doing in the water.

That live view made it so officers could see the boy moving deeper into the pond and relay that information to the responding officers. St. Sauver said the technology allows police to get critical information before officers physically reach the scene, giving them a better idea of what they are walking into.

St. Paul operates three docked drones that can be deployed as first responders. Police said the drones have completed at least 1,500 flights since the program began, though the technology has also faced scrutiny from some community members.

For Sae Ma, the rescue came down to reaching the child before it was too late. St. Sauver summed up the role of the drone with: “You couldn’t ask for a better situation or a better solution.”