Shivering 4-year-old with autism rescued from pond - one thing kept him afloat

THONOTOSASSA, Florida (KFOR/Storyful) - A concerned citizen called 911 after witnessing a small child, wearing only a diaper, run into a Florida pond. When deputies arrived, waded into the water, and eventually found the shivering boy, they credited one thing for keeping him afloat.

"After thoroughly looking through the thick shrubs at the edge of the pond, they located the boy, who was being kept afloat by cattails, and pulled him to safety," The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook.

The Sheriff's Office released the bodycam video at the top of this story, showing two deputies pulling the four-year-old boy to safety.

Once rescued, they realized the boy was mostly nonverbal, and learned he had autism after reuniting him with his family.

"I shudder to think of the outcome if not for the tenacity and efforts of these deputies," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "We will now work with the Department of Children and Families to determine if negligence played a role in this young boy's disappearance."