‘We were there at the right time’: First responders honored after rescuing child in a lake in Lauderhill

The City of Lauderhill honored the life-saving actions of three police officers in their efforts to save the life of a young girl in Lauderhill.

Sgt. Joseph Nistor, Ivan Perez, and Nicholas Colon received a certificate of recognition Monday evening at the City Commissioners Meeting.

The three police officers credited their training, teamwork, and a good Samaritan’s help in finding and saving the little girl in the middle of the night.

“I know everyone in the Lauderhill Police Department would have done the same thing,” said Sgt. Nistor. “And everyone hates to think of the worst-case scenario, and thankfully that didn’t happen. I think the mud is essentially what stopped the kid from going further. It definitely got me and got me stuck. So essentially we got the kid, and that’s all that mattered.”

“It feels good; it feels great,” said Officer Perez. “Especially me being a parent myself. Doing this, I know that I would expect this from any other officer.”

Bodycam footage was released last week that captured the moments police officers came to the rescue of a three-year-old girl who fell into a lake.

The swift action came after a good Samaritan reported seeing a child running toward the lake from a parking lot to a 911 dispatcher.

Lauderhill officers responded, and upon arrival, Police Sgt. Nistor spotted the girl waist-deep in water and went to retrieve her.

Nistor entered the muddy waters to retrieve the girl; however, he became stuck in the lakebed, according to police.

Bodycam video shows Sgt. Nistor handed the girl off to his partner before officers Perez and Colon pulled him to safety as well.

When they arrived back on land, they made sure to check the girl for injuries.

Her mother arrived shortly after, telling officers that her daughter wandered off. The girl was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

“It’s our job,” said Officer Colon. “It’s nice to get recognized. But again, this is what we signed up for. So, it’s kind of like it comes with the job. So, I don’t expect anything out of it; I just do the job that I signed up for.”

The officers were simply thankful they got to help.

The trio also said that after they are done responding to a call, they are always ready to respond to the next call as well.