St. Paul police use drone to help locate, rescue 5-year-old boy from pond

Police say a drone helped officers save a little boy's life Monday afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Authorities received a 911 call for help when someone spotted a child in a pond who appeared to be struggling to get out behind the East Side Boys & Girls Club around 1:30 p.m.

St. Paul police launched one of its docked drones, which was able to arrive on scene two minutes before police arrived and provided officers with the exact location and status of the child.

Upon arrival, officers were able to safely pull the boy from the water. The 5-year-old was transported to Children's Hospital to be evaluated, but no injuries were reported, according to police.

Family members told police the child has autism and wandered away from their home without their knowledge.

St. Paul officer Adisak Sae Ma, who pulled the boy from the water, said the boy was panicking and saw his head go underwater.

"A lot of time we respond to that type of call, it's already too late," said Sae Ma. 

Sgt. Matt St. Sauver relayed the location of the boy back to Officer Sae Ma, flying the drone and watching remotely from more than three miles away.

St. Sauver believes that without the eye in the sky the drone provided, this story may not have had a happy ending.

"Just knowing that you can be there to help out the citizens and being there to help out the officers on scene to make their jobs easier, to make the best decisions and get the best result that we can possibly get," said St. Sauver.

Despite the rescue, the St. Paul City Council decided on Wednesday not to allow more drones to be part of the city's police force, citing privacy concerns from citizens.