ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – Two St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office deputies came to the rescue of an elderly man after he accidentally drove his car into a pond.
Body camera footage shows Deputies Eddie Monduy and Jeremiah Foster as they rushed into the water after finding the man in his car near St. Augustine back in November.
Monduy and Foster recalled the critical first moments.
“The first thing I saw was water close to his neck area, so I realized this is very urgent,” Monduy said.
The pair said they had to act fast.
“I get my window break. I keep it in my door panel. We approached the vehicle, ended up, you know, upon impact, we initially broke the window because at first we couldn’t get the door open,” Foster said. “We made entry to the door and then, after that, we were able to retrieve the subject and then bring him out of the water safely.”
“You start thinking about the water, the conditions, things like that, but in reality, no amount of training could prepare you for the exact actions you take as long as you’re taking actions to try to help this person,” Monduy said.
Once safely out of the water, paramedics with St. Johns County Fire and Rescue rendered aid to the man.
Monduy said the elderly man, “was still in a condition where he couldn’t really articulate or formulate in sentences. So for me personally, we could tell he was very elderly, reminded me of some family members perhaps. So it was sad that he was alone, but very relieved that we were able to help him and no major injuries.”
Weeks later, the two men are being hailed as heroes.
Deputy Monduy has heard this title before. Back in September of 2024, he helped save a young man from jumping off a bridge.
“Don’t do it, dude. Listen, your life is still young, bro,” another officer said to the young man as heard in bodycam footage.
“Myself and a few other deputies were able to, from behind, kind of just tackle him to the ground,” Monduy said.
The deputies’ heroic actions are being honored for rescuing this elderly man in the pond, but they said they were simply doing their job.
“My son thinks I’m a hero, and I would hope one day, when he’s a man himself, he would also dive in the water,” Monduy said. “So, regardless of whether he’s wearing this uniform or not, put other people first to help them.”
“It’s nice, you know, we were able to save him, get him the help he needs, you know, and that’s what we’re here to do every day, and that’s why we love our job,” Foster said.
Thankfully, the driver walked away from the accident with only minor cuts and bruises.
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