A Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy pulled off a heroic rescue Tuesday afternoon.
- Deputy pulls autistic boy from retention pond
- Deputy Efrain Taveras saved a 9-year-old autistic boy
- Boy had walked away from his Apollo Beach home
According to the sheriff's office, Deputy Efrain Taveras saved a 9-year-old autistic boy from a retention pond.
The boy had walked out of his Apollo Beach and had been reported missing. Taveras spotted the boy, who does not know how to swim, in the pond and jumped in after him.
Deputy Taveras immediately jumped into the pond, in full uniform, and pulled the child to safety.
The boy is safe and has been reunited with his family.
Taveras, 52, is a 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office.