Man Reunites With Little Girl He Saved From Drowning On Her Birthday

June 27, 2017

An off-duty sheriff's officer shared a hug and a smile with a 4-year-old girl he saved just hours earlier as she celebrated her birthday at a local pool in Panama City, Florida.

The grim scene unfolded during Memorial Day weekend at Frank Brown Park when Officer Jeff Haire noticed a man carrying what looked like a "lifeless" child out of the water.

"I had investigated several drownings before in my career and the ones that didn't make it always had that foam around their nose and mouth area," Haire, 44, told the news outlet. "When I saw that on her, I just thought the worst."

After performing multiple rounds of CPR, Haire finally felt a heartbeat.

"I felt her heart rate go from literally 0 to about 100 — just like that," said Haire, who carried the little girl in his arms to an ambulance.

The girl's mother, Kiara Greene, told TODAY that they now call Haire their "guardian angel."

Luckily, no brain damage was found, something Haire and Greene couldn't believe.

"It was a miracle," Greene said.