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After a toddler nearly drowned in Oviedo, Florida, an officer was recognized this week for saving him. It happened back in December, when the little boy was found in a pool. “That was a very hard time,” said Chloe Donlan. She said that day, her boyfriend’s brother found her sixteen-month-old son in the pool. The family called 911, and she tried doing CPR while the call went out for the closest Oviedo police officers to head to their home. Officer Matthew Brongel, a CPR instructor, was supposed to be off that day. “Day shift had been short, they asked for volunteers,” he said. “I volunteered to come in and help out, so I was running traffic, and the call came out, and I looked to see who was close, and I was the closest officer.”He got to the home and ran inside.”The seconds counted,” he said. He found little Eliyah lying down, his parents trying to revive him. As Officer Brongel started CPR on the little boy, he couldn’t help but think of his own family. “My daughter,” Brongel said. He started doing compressions until paramedics arrived. “Lots of people have kids at home, and they want the best, and that’s what I was going for,” he said. “Making sure that they got to hold their son.”Eliyah’s Mom said he spent days in the hospital. With Officer Brongel staying with the family for hours. But thankfully, the little boy survived. “Better than ever,” Donlan said of how her son is doing. “He is extremely naughty but extremely sweet. He is doing just fine.”Officer Brongel was recognized by the city for helping save him. The officer said he thinks he was meant to be there to help that night in December. “There was a reason I was there. There was a reason I was down the road,” Brongel said. Eliyah’s Mom said Officer Brongel made a point to make sure Eliyah was doing OK. Even after he came home. “He came back when Eli was released from the hospital to come and make sure that he was okay. Give him a fist bump any everything,” Donlan said. “He was definitely wonderful, and we are all very blessed and thankful that he was the officer that was in the situation.”
After a toddler nearly drowned in Oviedo, Florida, an officer was recognized this week for saving him.
It happened back in December, when the little boy was found in a pool.
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“That was a very hard time,” said Chloe Donlan. She said that day, her boyfriend’s brother found her sixteen-month-old son in the pool.
The family called 911, and she tried doing CPR while the call went out for the closest Oviedo police officers to head to their home.
Officer Matthew Brongel, a CPR instructor, was supposed to be off that day.
“Day shift had been short, they asked for volunteers,” he said. “I volunteered to come in and help out, so I was running traffic, and the call came out, and I looked to see who was close, and I was the closest officer.”
He got to the home and ran inside.
“The seconds counted,” he said.
He found little Eliyah lying down, his parents trying to revive him.
As Officer Brongel started CPR on the little boy, he couldn’t help but think of his own family.
“My daughter,” Brongel said.
He started doing compressions until paramedics arrived.
“Lots of people have kids at home, and they want the best, and that’s what I was going for,” he said. “Making sure that they got to hold their son.”
Eliyah’s Mom said he spent days in the hospital. With Officer Brongel staying with the family for hours.
But thankfully, the little boy survived.
“Better than ever,” Donlan said of how her son is doing. “He is extremely naughty but extremely sweet. He is doing just fine.”
Officer Brongel was recognized by the city for helping save him.
The officer said he thinks he was meant to be there to help that night in December.
“There was a reason I was there. There was a reason I was down the road,” Brongel said.
Eliyah’s Mom said Officer Brongel made a point to make sure Eliyah was doing OK. Even after he came home.
“He came back when Eli was released from the hospital to come and make sure that he was okay. Give him a fist bump any everything,” Donlan said. “He was definitely wonderful, and we are all very blessed and thankful that he was the officer that was in the situation.”
