Child Rescued From River By Animal Services Officer

Published May 17th, 2024 at 8:00 am

Spring swift waters can catch children off guard. Corrales Animal Services Officer Bryah Lattin-Montano knows how quickly things can change in such fast moving water near the ditch bank. 

On the afternoon of May 4, Lattin-Montano was on patrol at Syphon Beach in Corrales when she heard a woman yelling and looking for her child. 

Lattin-Montano began calling and searching the water to help. She noticed the child in the river moving swiftly with the current and grabbed a rescue throw bag to try and throw a lifeline to get the child out of the water. 

Lattin-Montano began to run along with the child’s mother on the ditch bank hoping to catch up with the child to throw the bag before the water could take her much farther into the current. Lattin-­Montano also noticed another woman in the water trying to help the child. The woman in the water grabbed the child and was holding on to a bush, trying to keep them both afloat. 

Lattin-Montano was not able to deploy the throw bag to both the woman and the child in the river since the bush was in the way. In a tense moment, trying to figure out how to get them both out of the water, she heard the woman in the water yelling that she could not hold on any longer. 

The mother of the child jumped in the water near the bush, but once she got a hold of her child, she yelled out that she could not hold on to her child either. 

Lattin-­Montano called for backup from Corrales Fire and then jumped into the water herself to grab the child and help both women in the water. After a harrowing few minutes, she was able to get the child safely ashore and then went back in to help both women up to the bank. 

Both women and the child were checked by rescue workers and had no major injuries.

“The diligence of ASO Bryah Lattin-Montano concerning this incident is an excellent example of her commitment to her duties as a Village of Corrales Animal Services Officer,” said Corrales Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra. “I would like to take this opportunity to commend her exemplary performance with respect to this matter.” 

The chief went on to say that Lattin-Montano’s efforts would serve as a positive example to other members of the department.