Photo: Courtesy of Barnstable Police Department
CAPE COD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — An off-duty Cape Cod police officer is being commemorated for jumping into action while on vacation.
Barnstable Police Sergeant Christopher Ross was on vacation with his family in Florida last week when a swimmer needed help.
Ross was walking on Cocoa Beach looking for seashells with his two youngest children when he heard a man yelling for help from the water. Barnstable Police say the man was approximately 20 feet from the shore and there were no lifeguards on duty at the time.
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The man was stuck in a rip current and was not able to keep swimming much longer, police said.
Ross heard the man and asked his wife to grab their children's swim floaties. He quickly strapped them around his waist and swam out to the drowning man. He was able to pull the man back to shore safely, police said.
Brevard County Sherriff’s officers joined them on the scene and helped pull the man further onto the beach. He was transported to an area hospital and is expected to be okay.
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