WATCH – Deputy Rescues Missing 81-Year-Old from Pond: ‘I’m Glad We Found You’

Florida authorities are grateful for one of their own who recently performed a rescue that was caught on camera.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office posted video footage of the moment Deputy Steven Jones came upon a missing 81-year-old man who left his home without his medicine, WJHG reported Friday.

In the clip, Jones was searching along the edge of a pond when he spotted a person in the water.

“Okay, I found him. I found him. He is in the water and he’s moving,” he said. The sheriff’s office noted the man was reported missing the previous day.

“Hey buddy! Buddy?” the deputy said to the man. Moments later, Jones reached down and took hold of the elderly man’s arm as he lay in the shallow water, soaked to the skin.

“Come on, we’re gonna get you out of the water,” the deputy said as he pulled the man onto dry land. He then took the man’s hand to reassure him he was there to help.

“Alright, you’re okay. You’re going to be fine, buddy,” he said before telling another first responder, “Let’s just get him up out of here.”

The officers then asked the man for his name, and he said it was “Dan.” Jones reached down again and held onto the distressed man’s hands.

“Okay buddy, you’re going to be okay,” he told him again.

“I’m glad we found you, man. Thank goodness,” Jones said to the senior. It did not take long before more first responders arrived at the scene and transported the man to a hospital.

The sheriff’s office said Wednesday that Jones joined the agency in 2017 and worked as a school resource officer.

Social media users praised his actions, one person writing, “Deputy Jones was so reassuring with his kind calm voice. God bless Deputy Jones, keep him safe as he continues keeping our community safe.”

“We’re blessed for having deputy Jones and his team working in our community,” another commented.