A Little Boy is Stable After Being Rescued by Neighbor From a Pond

An Ohio family is very thankful after they were able to narrowly avoid the unthinkable. According to WTRF, a young boy was recently saved by his neighbor after falling into a pond. The incident happened in Canal Winchester on the morning of Sept. 9, 2026.

WBNS 10TV says that multiple agencies were called in for a water rescue just after 8 a.m. Fortunately, a nearby neighbor quickly spotted the boy and pulled him out of the water before administering CPR. The boy, who was later identified as a five-or six-year-old (different outlets have different ages listed), Leon Egbe, was rushed to the hospital, where he’s listed as being in stable condition.

It sounds like the boy’s aunt, Dr. Lizzie Bronte, gave an update to the outlet, saying that the child is on the spectrum and the family has worked extra hard to prevent something like this from happening.

Now, she says everyone is just thankful for the quick actions of their neighbor and the overwhelming response that they received when they called for help.

A Neighbor Spotted the Little Boy in the Water

It’s hard to imagine the terror that must’ve been going through the hearts and minds of the little boy’s family, especially when a neighbor shouted out that he had found the child in the water. But that’s exactly what Bronte told WBNS 10TV happened as the unnamed good Samaritan alerted the boy’s dad that he found him in the water before pulling him to safety.

“He’s just a kind, loving, proactive, involved neighbor and on behalf of my family, we will be forever indebted to him,” Bronte said of the man who was credited with giving the child lifesaving care. 

The Little Boy Bypassed Several Locks to Get Outside

According to Bronte, the family deals with a constant fear that the little boy would be able to get outside on his own, and they took extra precautions to make sure he stays safe. “The house is packed with locks and bolts,” she told WBNS 10TV. “But he tries to stand on a chair and… the family lives in confinement.”

The family believes that the little boy made it outside by exiting through the garage, despite the fact that the home was equipped with a security system. Unfortunately, this isn’t a very uncommon scenario for children on the spectrum, according to the National Autism Association. A report on the group’s website says that children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than neurotypical children. 

While the outlet says that the incident is still under investigation, the story didn’t allude to the possibility of any charges being filed as a result of this scary incident.