VIDEO: Hero Long Island Police Officer Reunited With Man He Saved From Drowning

SELDEN, NY — A hero Suffolk police officer was reunited with the man he saved from drowning five years ago in a special meeting at the 6th Precinct in Selden on Tuesday, officials said.

In July 2021, Officer Brian Christopher responded to the home of Vivek Panneerselvam, who was found unresponsive at the bottom of his family pool, and he jumped in, removed him from the pool, and quickly began the life-saving measures that would save the man's life after being underwater for nearly five minutes.

The 911 call came in "around the corner" from where Christopher was, so he arrived at the scene first, he said.

"I was there pretty fast," he said, adding, "I immediately ran to the backyard where I was told he was at the bottom of the pool."

Christopher jumped in the pool, and did what he could to pull Paneerselvam up out of the water, and his family grabbed him and helped out.

"I climbed out of the pool and immediately began CPR," he said. "The paramedics took over from there. I'm just grateful to know that, fast-forward, now that he's made a complete recovery. Not only has he made a complete recovery, but he's still in the Army Reserves, and now he's a Suffolk County Police Auxiliary Officer."

Their bond remains strong after five years.

Paneerselvam said, "Brian, you know you'll always be my hero."

Christopher was recognized with the county's Lifesaving Award for "his speed, training, and refusal to waste a single second, giving Panneerselvam a second chance at life," officials said.

"We’re proud to have these two on our team," department officials said in a post to Facebook.