Deputy Applauded After Saving Woman from Sinking Car

OSWEGO, IL — It’s the police’s job to make sure that citizens are safe and protected, even when they break the law, and one deputy lived up to that duty.

Deputy Tyler Johnson was working at around 1:50 a.m. Jan. 1 when he got the call for a vehicle that had left the roadway and was sinking in a retention pond with the driver trapped inside. Johnson arrived at the scene and saw the vehicle around 75 feet from the bank.

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The air temperature wind chill was at -1 and the water was just above freezing, but that didn’t stop him.

“Deputy Johnson swam to the vehicle, broke out the rear window, and removed the driver, who was the sole occupant from the vehicle,” a release from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office said.

The woman was found to be under the influence of alcohol and was arrested by Oswego police. Johnson was treated for hypothermia and minor injuries at a local hospital. He has since been released.

Kendall County Sheriff Dwight A. Baird praised the deputy’s actions.

“Deputy Johnson’s quick actions saved someone’s life. We are extremely proud of Deputy Johnson’s selfless courage and his dedication to the citizens of Kendall County,” Baird said in a release.