An ICE officer at his son’s soccer party suddenly became the only thing standing between a motionless 6-year-old and tragedy after spotting the child floating in a Florida pool.
The May 16 emergency unfolded at a Pasco County community pool, where ICE officer Gregory Simmonds had been attending his son’s end-of-year soccer party.
A pool attendant appeared to be pointing toward the child, and Simmonds quickly realized the situation was far more serious than routine roughhousing.
The Department of Homeland Security later said the child was unconscious when Simmonds spotted him.
Fox News obtained surveillance video showing Simmonds plunge in fully clothed while another child helped near the water.
He got the child to the pool’s edge, where others helped lift the boy out.
Simmonds then started CPR, and DHS said the child regained consciousness before being taken for care.
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Local officials said the child is expected to make a full recovery.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. J. Leathers praised Simmonds for acting instantly when seconds mattered.
“Due to his quick thinking, decisive actions and willingness to place himself into action during a critical incident, the child survived and is expected to make a full recovery,” Leathers said. “His actions directly contributed to saving the life of the child and reflect exceptional courage and selflessness.”
Simmonds later told Newsmax that he was thankful he had been there when the emergency unfolded.
“I’m very happy that it ended up turning out the right way, that I was in the right place at the right time to give this kid a second change at life,” he said.
In a separate appearance on “Fox & Friends First,” Simmonds said instinct took over once he understood the child’s condition.
“There was kind of a sixth sense going on,” Simmonds said. “I jumped in the pool, swam over as quick as I could. When I picked up the kid, his body condition at that time, I knew immediately that this kid’s [going to] need some sort of CPR.”
BEST OF THE BEST.
Gregory Simmonds, a heroic @ICEgov officer, SAVED a 6-year-old child from drowning in a pool in Pasco County, Florida.
After jumping in and removing the unconscious child from the water, Officer Simmonds rendered life-saving CPR until the child regained… https://t.co/WkBSXsi7s9 pic.twitter.com/yANuCEI9w3
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 16, 2026
Acting Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis used the rescue to defend ICE officers at a moment when the agency remains under intense political attack.
“This officer swiftly sprung to action and delivered life-saving medical care to this 6-year-old who drowned,” Bis said.
“Our agents truly are the best of the best. They put their lives on the line to arrest the worst of the worst. Instead of demonizing ICE law enforcement, sanctuary politicians should be thanking them for removing criminals from their communities.”
Another Florida emergency unfolded off New Smyrna Beach, where alert beachgoers flagged down deputies for a swimmer in distress.
Body-camera video later released by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office showed a deputy charging into the surf and hauling the woman out.
A second person then moved in to help get her to safety.
The emergency began around 10:15 a.m. Saturday, when deputies were alerted to trouble in the water.
Deputy Gourley located the 68-year-old face down in the ocean and got her to shore, where he and Deputy Manhart started CPR.
“This morning, at 10:15 a.m., deputies were flagged down for a swimmer in distress in the ocean in New Smyrna Beach. Deputy Gourley quickly located the victim in the water floating face down and pulled her to shore. The woman was unresponsive and without a pulse. Deputy Gourley and Deputy Manhart immediately began CPR and were able to revive the 68-year-old woman,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
“Beach Safety arrived on scene and continued life-saving measures. The victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition,” the agency added.
The sheriff’s office said the deputies would receive life-saving awards and credited alert beachgoers with helping make the rescue possible.
“This serves as a powerful reminder that alert beachgoers, like those who spotted the woman and quickly alerted deputies, can make all the difference. Life-saving awards are forthcoming for the deputies involved for their heroic actions,” the post concluded.
In Utah, police body-camera video captured St. George officers going door to door through a burning apartment complex before dawn.
Around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, officers began forcing the sleeping building awake one apartment at a time.
One clip showed an officer aiming a flashlight at a sleeping resident moments before ordering him out.
“Hey, building’s on fire. You gotta get out!” the officer shouted.
A loud bang followed as the resident woke up screaming.
“You gotta go! Let’s go, let’s go!” the officer yelled while pulling the person out of bed.
A nearby ladder became an escape route for one resident trapped above the flames.
Other footage showed officers calmly guiding two small children out as relatives tried to reassure them.
“Come here, buddy. I’m gonna lift you over the wall, it’s all right, OK?” an officer said.
Then came a flash and a crash on the footage, as officials later said the structure began to fail with officers still inside.
Fire officials said the blaze spread through a shared attic that linked the complex’s 20 units, damaging or destroying up to 20 apartments.
Eight officers went to the hospital for smoke inhalation and have since been released, according to the department.
In Northern California, 10-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzy” Morgan woke up in time to get seven relatives out of a burning home.
The Oakley girl had been stirred awake by a power outage before spotting flames outside the house.
Her screams, according to her mother, sent the rest of the sleeping household running.
“Lizzy got up, looked outside, and seen our house on fire,” Nena Morgan told KTVU.
“Lucas started screaming,” she added of 11-year-old Lucas Morgan. “They started running through the house waking everybody up.”
All seven relatives, including four adults and three children, escaped safely.
The home was destroyed, and the family’s dogs and one cat died.
Morgan later told CBS that Lizzy’s reaction likely saved everyone inside.
“The power went out in the house and when it went out, she [Lizzy] freaked out, looked out the window to kind of see what was going on, seeing the flames, started yelling at everybody in the house, waking all of us up,” Morgan said.
“She is our hero,” the mother added. “When I woke up, I could just see smoke billowing through the house. I was sound asleep in bed with my husband. I don’t know what would have happened if Elizabeth wasn’t awake.”
Battalion Chief Jeff Burris said the cause remains under investigation, though early signs pointed to the porch area.
