3-Year-Old's Life Saved by Off-Duty R.I. Police Officer

Yesterday, Mallory Reis was off duty at a pond in a state forest in Plymouth, Mass., but that didn't stop her from responding to the call of duty.

Reis, a Cranston police officer, helped save the life of a 3-year-old boy at Curlew Pond in Myles Standish State Forest yesterday, according to reports. 

The boy is recovering in a Massachusetts hospital after nearly drowning. He fell under the water and was pulled from the water by his 9-year-old sister.

He was blue and showed no vital signs, witnesses said.

"His body was limp, he was on the ground," Reis told NECN.com. "There was a big circle [of people around him] so I just came running over because someone said this kid needs CPR."

Reis gave the boy CPR and managed to revive him. When rescue crews finally arrived, he was semiconscious and alert, according to Plymouth fire officials. 

The boy was rushed to Jordan Hospital in Plymouth and then flown to a Boston hospital where he is expected to recover. Family members said he has some brain swelling, but it looks like he'll pull through OK.

Family members praised Reis and other people who helped in the rescue, including Robert Ryan, an off-duty firefighter who happened to be nearby as well.

"It was almost as if we became a big family," said Tasha Sawyer, the boy's aunt.

"They're heroes," said Don Matinzi, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation district manager. "When I got here the first thing I did was tell them that."

The pond did not have a lifeguard, although signs were posted warning visitors to swim at their own risk.