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Police officer reunites with child he saved from drowning a decade ago
They'll have a special bond forever.
Elijah Chan
04.25.23

For some cops, saving people’s lives is just a normal part of the job. As a part of the community, the people they serve are often lost in a cloud of faces and a haze of memories.

YouTube Screenshot - WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore

But for the people they’ve helped and the lives they’ve touched, the faces of these cops will never ever be forgotten.

Detective Walter Sweeney was called into the office to meet someone.

When he got into their department’s conference room, he saw a boy with locked hair staring right back at him. Detective Sweeney thought the face was familiar but he can’t just dig it out from his memory.

YouTube Screenshot - WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore

It was because Sweeney and the boy met for the first time 11 years ago during a terrifying incident. Since then, Matthew Henegar’s family never forgot Detective Sweeney.

It was a hot summer day in July 2011 when Matthew’s family hung out by the pool.

Somehow, Matthew who was still a year old at that time found his way to the edge of the pool. We can only imagine the panic and screaming when the baby fell in.

Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department
Source:
Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department

Detective Sweeney, fortunately, was near the Henegar residence. A call came out from dispatch about a drowning boy.

Detective Sweeney rushed to the house.

He went straight for Matthew – he jumped over their fence, ran past their panicked dog, and made his way to where Matthew was.

Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department
Source:
Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department

At first, they all thought it was too late. Matthew’s color was a horrifying shade of blue. They said to the local news outlet that his lips and fingers were blue.

Detective Sweeney then administered first aid. He told local news outlets that he gave him “a couple of smacks on the back,” and then he started to do CPR.

Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department
Source:
Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department

He did chest compressions and blew air into Matthew. Moments after, the one-year-old boy started coughing out water.

Detective Sweeney saved Matthew’s life at that moment.

The family was eternally grateful for the cop’s quick actions that day. Matthew’s memories were just a blur but it was a story he kept on hearing when he was growing up.

Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department
Source:
Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department

“It means everything. Without him, I wouldn’t have him. We talk about it all the time, how grateful we are. We will always be grateful,” Carolyn Henegar, Matthew’s mother, said as quoted by WBAL.

The idea for a reunion came when Matthew’s grandmother saw a photo of the cop online.

Linda Henegar, Matthew’s grandmother reached out to the police department after seeing that Detective Sweeney received a promotion.

Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department
Source:
Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department

When they met again for the first time, Detective Sweeney hugged Matthew tightly. He said that he knows exactly who Matthew was when he finally connected the face to a memory.

The reunion, organized by the police chief, was as unforgettable as the rescue.

“I think it’s great to meet the guy that saved my life after 12 years,” Matthew said to the local news outlet.

Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department
Source:
Facebook - Anne Arundel County Police Department

“It was exciting. A lot of emotion came back to how this happened, and that he was here and everything like that, it was very exciting,” Sweeney said.

Watch how a police officer gets reunited with a boy he saved after 11 years.

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