A 3-year-old boy who nearly drowned in 2024 walked back into the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station this week, this time to hug the two deputies who brought him back to life. Deputy Rifkin and Deputy Shearer were the first to arrive on scene when the boy nearly drowned, and they began CPR immediately, according to the family's account of the incident. The boy regained a pulse and began breathing again before paramedics could take over.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station shared a Facebook post.
Why Every Minute Mattered
The timeline matters more than it might seem. Performing CPR within five minutes of a child's heart stopping nearly doubles their chance of survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, according to American Heart Association research presented in November 2025. Researchers found the optimal window to begin successful CPR in children is roughly half that of adults, which is part of why the deputies' quick action in 2024 was so critical.
Pediatric cardiac arrests differ from adult ones in a key way. The American Heart Association's updated guidelines note that pediatric arrests are predominantly triggered by respiratory failure, like drowning, rather than the cardiac-driven arrests typical in adults, which is why formal pediatric CPR protocol pairs rescue breathing with chest compressions rather than relying on hands-only technique. Early ventilation, the guidelines state, is critical for children suffering this kind of asphyxial cardiac arrest.
A Risk That Looms Large in Los Angeles County
Drowning remains the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children aged 1 to 4 in the United States, accounting for more than 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings annually across all age groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC data also shows child drowning deaths rose sharply after 2019, including a 28% increase among toddlers aged 1 to 4.
Southern California carries particular risk because of its sheer number of backyard pools. Roughly 96% of Los Angeles County's estimated 250,000 swimming pools are attached to single-family homes, according to a 2016 analysis cited by the Los Angeles Times.
Even when a child survives, the danger doesn't end there. Nonfatal drownings occur 7 to 10 times more often than fatal drownings among young children, and irreversible neurological impairment can begin within minutes of submersion, according to estimates from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. That narrow margin is why bystander CPR, administered immediately, can determine whether a child recovers fully or suffers lasting brain damage.
The Push for Wider CPR Training
Bystander intervention is less common than many assume. Roughly 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the United States happen in private residences, yet bystander CPR is initiated in only about 42% of emergencies nationwide, according to 2024 statistics from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), presented by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Immediate bystander CPR can double or triple a victim's chance of survival before emergency personnel arrive, the foundation notes.
Los Angeles County has taken some policy steps to close that gap. The county enacted the Roxie's Swim Safe Ordinance and designated an annual Drowning Prevention Week in 2022 to mandate stricter public pool safety standards and promote community CPR education, following the 2019 drowning of a six-year-old child at a local summer camp, per a 2024 report from the county public health department.
A Station Built for Rapid Response
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, located at 23740 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia, provides contract law enforcement.
Deputies from the station have also been credited with a dramatic save. In September, a deputy pulled a driver from a burning Tesla on a roadway, a rescue previously reported by Hoodline.
