Good Samaritan rescues 4-year-old from stormwater in El Monte

Good Samaritan rescued 4-year-old from storm water

A man walking his dog is credited with rescuing a 4-year-old boy from a raging storm water.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A man walking his dog is credited with rescuing a 4-year-old boy from a raging stormwater in El Monte.

It's not clear exactly how the little boy fell into the water. However, FOX 11 was told the boy has autism and often has a tough time expressing himself. When the boy disappeared, his family went on a frantic search across the Rio Vista Veterans Memorial Park, where he was last seen.

In comes Michael Bea, who was walking his dog, Dodger, Wednesday.

"I saw what I thought were some sticks," Bea said. "I realized that was a person."

He found the boy after Los Angeles dealt with a historic winter storm.

"The kid was soaking wet, the water was past his neck," Bea explained.

The good Samaritan jumped in, grabbed the little boy – as Bea made sure to keep his and the boy's heads above the water – and got out of the water despite the strong current.

The 4-year-old boy was lucky – Wednesday happened to be the first day of the newly-formed Los Angeles County Fire's advanced practitioner rescue unit.

With the timing, first responders were able to respond quickly. LA County Fire said calling 9-1-4 on the spot saves crew members time, and allows the department to be more efficient with its finite resources. The formation of the unit came in response to the increasing volume of 9-1-1 calls throughout LA County.