When you’re a dedicated public servant, you’re never really off the clock.
Deputy Jeremie Nix of the Marion County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office was heading home from work after his shift when he stopped at a red light. Traffic was heavy, and Nix immediately noticed a car that swerved onto the shoulder next to his cruiser. A woman emerged, clutching the tiny figure of her baby son, and started frantically waving at the officer while the car’s driver honked her horn repeatedly.
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Without thinking twice, Nix whipped his car around and pulled up behind the stopped car. He jumped out and ran to help Nechole Cromwell, a mother from Gainsville, Florida whose baby, Kingston, had suddenly stopped breathing.
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Nechole explained that “he just didn’t look right,” so she and her sister were en route to the hospital when Kingston took a turn for the worse. With traffic slowing them down, they knew they needed help, and fast. Nechole now thinks that Nix was sent to that particular highway that day, specifically to help their family in their hour of need.
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A dashboard camera recorded the entire dramatic scene as Nix reached the family and immediately set Kingston down on the ground to begin life-saving maneuvers. “You can tell he’s completely lifeless,” Nix later said. “She just hands him to me and the first words out of her mouth were, ‘Don’t let my baby die.'”
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Nix worked on Kingston for several minutes, and he did get the three month old to take one faint breath, but the officer knew that wasn’t good enough. Although he’d radioed for an ambulance, Nix decided on the spot that he couldn’t wait for them to arrive.
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“I’m not waiting for medics. I’m a half mile from ORC. I’m heading to the emergency room with the baby,” he told dispatch.
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“I didn’t have time,” Nix explained. “This baby didn’t have time to wait on an ambulance.”
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Nechole and her sister jumped in their car to follow the officer to the hospital, where medics were waiting to whisk the baby off into the trauma unit. After a few of the longest minutes of Nechole’s life, officer Nix emerged from the trauma unit to tell her that Kingston was crying.
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I knew crying meant that he was breathing, so I was able to actually relax and try to gather myself enough to see about him. I am so blessed.
I thanked him probably a thousand times, and I wanted the world to know that he was amazing, and I felt like God had him at the right place at the right time, and I’m thankful.
Throughout the ensuing medical check up, Nix stayed right by Nechole’s side. Later that night, he even brought his wife to the hospital to visit the family.
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“In my 17 years of doing this job, that was the most scary, emotional and rewarding day ever,” Nix said. “I remember praying, thanking God for putting me in the right place at the right time for the right reason.”
Kingston is expected to make a full recovery, and it’s all thanks to this officer’s training and quick thinking. The sheriff’s office later released this statement:
“We are happy to report that Baby Kingston is doing very well and doctors say he will make a full recovery! Doctors also said that because of K9 Deputy Nix’s actions, Baby Kingston is alive today. We are tremendously proud of Deputy Nix and we can already see that he and Baby Kingston will have a deep connection that will last a lifetime!”
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Thank you for your service, Deputy Nix! Heaven forbid we’re ever in a scary situation like this one, we hope there’s someone like this man around to save the day.
Watch the nerve-wracking dashcam footage below, and be sure to share to thank Deputy Nix for a job well done!
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