JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released on its Facebook page bodycam video showing Officer Me’Atia Sanderson jump into a retention pond and rescue an infant. Sanderson and the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department were dispatched to the scene on June 9th. Officer Sanderson was the first to arrive and alerted that the infant was still in the water.
According to the JSO social media post, “Ofc. Sanderson, who does not know how to swim herself, without a second hesitation, entered the pond to retrieve the child and performed CPR until she was relieved by other responding officers.”
The post goes on to read, “Captain Christopher Scott with JFRD authored a letter to JSO on behalf of Ofc. Sanderson recognizing the impact her ‘quick and decisive decision to go into the retention pond’ made. Her actions, while putting her own life at risk, undoubtedly saved the child’s life.”
News4JAX shared this story with you when it happened in June at the Madelyn Oaks Apartments off Lenox Avenue.
A resident, who didn’t want to be identified, said they witnessed the officer running to the pond and jumping in to try to save the child. She said a maintenance man also helped.
“They were able to do like teamwork. She was able to give the baby to the maintenance guy and now she’s trying to help herself get out of there because she got on her safety gear, her duty belt, stuff like that,” the neighbor said. “She did an amazing job like doing what she could do.”
The JSO Facebook post ends with this, “As we continue our #weekofthanks, we at the #JSO are thankful that we have officers like Ofc. Sanderson, who day in and day out, take on the challenges and dangers of this job. Our community would not be what it is without them.”