Bodycam footage shows the moment a Vermont state trooper jumped into an icy pond to save an 8-year-old girl who had been submerged for minutes.
The daring rescue unfolded in the town of Cambridge on Dec. 17, according to officials.
The girl and her little sister plunged into the frigid waters while playing on thin ice on a pond located on private property, police said.
An 80-year-old homeowner pulled the younger girl to safety but could not rescue the 8-year old and called 911, according to a press release issued Friday.
Trooper Michelle Archer arrived less than five minutes after the desperate call, authorities said. Archer pulled a rope and floatation device from her cruiser and swam to the struggling child — then brought her to shore, according to police and bodycam footage.
A Vermont state trooper jumped into a frigid pond to rescue an 8-year-old girl. Vermont State Police via AP
The girl had been submerged for minutes. Vermont State Police via AP
The girl made a full recovery. Vermont State Police via AP“She’s making noise, can you grab her .. just bring her closer,” Archer is heard telling Trooper Keith Cote through heavy breathing as she brings the whimpering girl to the snowy shore.
Cote carried the girl to a waiting ambulance, which took her to a hospital where she made a full recovery from injuries that were initially believed to be potentially deadly, police said.
Archer was able to change into warm clothes and did not need medical treatment, according to the release.
Troopers Archer and Cote and the homeowner were credited “for their selfless, heroic conduct, and all three have been recommended to receive the agency’s Lifesaving Award,” state police said.
The high temperature in Cambridge that day was 46 degrees, and the low was only 39 degrees, above the freezing mark, according to Weather Underground.
