NEED TO KNOW
- Several siblings teamed up to help save a 6-year-old boy who was drowning in a Florida lake on Sept. 28
- The family members believe “God allowed us to be there to help this kid,” according to one of the brothers, Alexander Castelo
- The child was in critical condition as of Sept. 29
Siblings who helped save a 6-year-old boy from drowning in a Florida lake are opening up about their heroics.
The incident occurred in the 3000 block of Holiday Springs Boulevard in Margate on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 28, according to WSVN.
Alexander Castelo, 35, leaped into action after hearing a woman’s cries for help and spotting the boy in the lake at the Villas on The Green, according to WPLG. He said he saw the child floating face down before entering the water.
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Soon, Alexander’s brother Jonathan, 31, joined him and helped remove the child from the lake. Alexander then began chest compressions, which he learned as a Boy Scout when he was a young teenager.
“A lot of vomit, a lot of fluid started coming out of his mouth, but he was completely unresponsive,” recalled Alexander, who was born in Ecuador.
The brothers’ sister Amy, called 911 while their wives, Jessica and Theresa, helped relay information to dispatchers, according to WPLG. Meanwhile, Alexander said the mother of the 6-year-old boy “stood next to me the whole time.”
Jessica Castelo, Alexander’s wife, then walked to Holiday Springs Boulevard to show first responders to the scene. Once there, they thanked Alexander for his heroics.
“I felt some relief when I heard him cry with fire rescue,” Alexander recalled. He said his actions did not hit him until later that same day.
The siblings believe this was a case of divine intervention, according to WPLG. In fact, the family had just celebrated a 4-month-old’s baptism shortly before the rescue.
“I believe that God allowed us to be there to help this kid and that gives me an outlook that there is something out there guiding us,” Alexander explained. “I believe it.”
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The child who was pulled from the lake was in critical condition as of Monday, Sept. 29, according to WSVN.
Now, the family members hope the boy who was rescued will recover. “We really hope he makes it and he is well,” Alexander said, WPLG reported.
