A dramatic rescue unfolded at Flagler Beach in Florida when a police officer rushed into the water to rescue two swimmers who got caught in a rip current.
Fox 35 Orlando posted a video of the rescue to YouTube and interviewed witness Brook Qualls.
She photographed officer Dylan Coffman jumping into action and stated, “I saw him immediately fly his door open, and he looked right over the boardwalk.”
“I instantly saw him ripping his vest off, and he jumped over the boardwalk [and] ran,” she added.
The video displays the moments when Coffman brought the swimmers back to safety.
“Seeing him go out there and how quick and efficient. It was just like amazing seeing that,” Qualls noted. “The waves were really nasty so it was just really awesome seeing how fast he cut through the water.”
Another witness, Sean McSweeney, stated, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It was shocking, at the same time heartwarming, to see that a first responder would just jump into action like that, and it was great,” he added.
Fox News reported that although one of the swimmers looked fatigued, both are expected to recover without issue.
The Flagler Beach Police Department recognized Coffman’s heroic actions, stating, “Kudos, Dylan, on going above and beyond to make our city safe.”
The department posted to X, formerly Twitter, about rip currents, noting, “If you do find yourself being pulled out by a rip current, it is important to stay calm.”
I🛟 RIP CURRENTS 🛟 ~ If you do find yourself being pulled out by a rip current, it is important to stay calm. The current will not pull you under the water, but it will push you out further into the ocean. Source; https://t.co/GUaqbeteoi pic.twitter.com/deXu4EE91x
— Flagler Beach Police (@FBPD) September 21, 2023
“The current will not pull you under the water, but it will push you out further into the ocean,” the department said and added an image that displays swimming parallel to the beach to escape the strong force.