Border Patrol Agent Saves Young Girl From Drowning in Comal River

DEL RIO, TX -- Over the weekend, a Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agent saved a young girl who got caught in a rough water section of the Comal River. 

On August 5, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Adan Sanchez, of the Carrizo Springs Station, was vacationing with his family on the Comal River near New Braunfels. Agent Sanchez suddenly noticed a child trapped in the backwash of a dam. The undertow of the dam had the young girl struggling to stay above water. SBPA Sanchez stated in a subsequent interview that he noticed the girl “rolling and rolling,” and that “she’d come up and go back down.”

The girl’s mother attempted to rescue the child but was unable to reach her location amid the fast moving water. SBPA Sanchez leapt into the river and fought his way to the girl. He then grabbed the child and pushed off the river bottom to free her from the current. 

SBPA Sanchez’s wife, Delia, realized what was happening once her husband jumped in the water and was able to record the act from shore. The young girl was unharmed and was returned to her family. 

“Del Rio Sector agents are committed to preserving life and the safety of our communities, both on and off the job,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent of Del Rio Sector Matthew J. Hudak. “I am immensely proud of the selfless actions that Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Sanchez took that day and remind our agents to remain vigilant at all times.”

All Border Patrol agents receive training in rescue swimming while at the Border Patrol Academy. In turn, Del Rio Sector agents work in close proximity to the Rio Grande River and often take part in rescue situations involving undocumented aliens being caught in fast-moving river currents.