WARREN, Mich. – Police in Warren are commending the actions of one of their own who helped save the life of a 12-year-old boy.
“I have a kid in the pool and I think he drowned as he’s not breathing,” said a female called to the 911 operator.
Police received a 911 call on Saturday, March 1, regarding a child who had drowned in the TownPlace Suites Hotel pool.
Warren Police Officer Jacob Brooklier sprinting down the hall of the TownePlace Suites to the swimming pool where a 12-year-old boy had just been pulled out of the water.
“You could see from his bodycam that once he heard the call, he knew what his mission was, and that was to go save a child,” said Warren police Lt. John Gajewski.
Brooklier, who was already at the hotel for an unrelated 911 call, rushed to the pool, where he found the child unresponsive and not breathing.
“I saw the child not breathing, not alert, not moving, so I began to render CPR,” Brooklier said.
Brooklier immediately began chest compressions.
“I watch the video and I see somebody that never gave up hope,” Gajewski said. “Officer Brooklier was not going to let that child parish in his arms.”
It took two minutes of CPR before the child was successfully revived, just as a Warren Fire Department crew arrived on scene.
“He did CPR for over two minutes,” Gajewski said. “Anybody who has done CPR will tell you it’s grueling. It’s exhausting physically and emotionally.”
Police bodycam footage of the rescue can be watched in the video player above.
The fire crew rushed the boy to a hospital in critical condition, where he was transported to an emergency room and was stabilized.
“It’s a sigh of relief to see him breathing and alert,” Brooklier said. “He did say a couple of words, but you’re still thinking that you have to make sure that this child makes it to the hospital.”
The family said the 12-year-old had since been released and is expected to make a full recovery.
