‘Quite heroic’: Video shows Naperville police rescue toddler, parents from pond

As Naperville police ran to the edge of a pond where a family’s SUV had crashed into the frigid water, one officer asked, “Are they still in there?”

Moments later, three officers trudged into the retention pond, the water up to their waists.

Video from their body-worn cameras shows how swiftly police rescued the family — a 2-year-old and her parents — from the partially submerged SUV last week. The camera footage, released Wednesday, lasts two minutes and 15 seconds.

“I expect nothing less from any of our officers,” Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow said. “Hearing about it is one thing, but then when you see the video, it just puts it into perspective how amazing the work was.”

Naperville police responded on the afternoon of Jan. 2 after witnesses saw the white SUV in the pond near the 95th Street Library.

The video captures the officers going into the water, trying to open the vehicle’s doors and then ‒ someone says, “Break it, break it” ‒ smashing one of the rear windows.

That the officers “didn’t hesitate,” Krakow said, “is quite heroic.”

One of the officers pulled the toddler out of her child’s seat. Police also helped lead her parents safely back to shore.

“It’s not a very deep pond right there. But the cold in itself was something to overcome,” Krakow said. “But I guess, in that moment, when you're going out to rescue a family, the adrenaline kicks in.”

Police shared the body camera footage on the department’s Facebook page. The video had some 4,000 views on Wednesday.

“Their ability to remain calm and do what needed to be done to help the frantic family is commendable!” the post read.

Police said last week an initial investigation indicated the driver of the SUV, which was parked near the pond, accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes. The two adults in the car declined treatment for themselves and the toddler.