Houston boy heralded a hero after daring pool rescue of 5-year-old
The boy's family threw a party in recognition of his actions
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 10-year old Texas boy is being heralded as a hero after saving a 5-year-old girl from the bottom of his apartment complex's pool.
Rickie August Jr., known as "Junior," was reportedly swimming on Sunday at Houston's Retreat at Cypress Station Apartments when he spotted Egypt Brady.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In an interview with KPRC-TV, he recalled seeing the little girl "not moving at all."
"I knew that she was not just trying to float," Junior said.
Junior, who KPRC-TV noted had been a near-drowning victim as well, swam to the bottom of the pool to retrieve Brady, carried her on his shoulder and brought her to the pool's stairs, where others were able to administer CPR until the local Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services arrived.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to KHOU, Junior returned home shortly after EMS arrived, worried that Brady would not be OK.
The station said authorities later followed up with Junior and his family to tell them the good news.
On Wednesday, Junior's family threw a celebration in recognition of his actions, where he got to meet Brady and her parents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Video showed the moment Brady thanked him in person.
"I like to be a leader for other kids because I think it’s important for other people to learn from what we do," he told KPRC-TV.
An average of 3,957 unintentional drowning deaths occurred each year from 2010 to 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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While children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates – with most happening in swimming pools – the agency said that fatal drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death behind motor vehicle crashes for children ages 1 to 14.
In 2016, nonprofit organization Safe Kids Worldwide reported that almost 800 children drown in the U.S. each year, with more than half of that total under the age of 5.