A Vernon teenager is being credited with saving the life of a drowning child Saturday afternoon.
Vernon Police were called to the Valley Falls Park around 5 p.m. Saturday for a report of a little girl, Alyanna Bukhari, drowning.
Witnesses told police that a girl was swimming at the park and went under the water. The 15-year-old boy, Kevin Kozak, who was swimming near her saw her go under and not resurface.
"When I close my eyes and go to sleep and I remember the scene," the 10-year-old said. "I'm in water, I'm diving....very bad, bad scenes."
Kozak found the girl underwater, unresponsive and not breathing. He brought her back to shore where an adult administered rescue breathing.
"While I saw some bubbles come up and I swam over there and like I couldn’t see because the water visibility was so low and I felt something on my leg, so I reached down, I tried to pick her up but I was in pretty deep water. So I started to carry her towards the shore," Kozak told NBC Connecticut.
The girl's parents were nearby at the time, but had been momentarily distracted.
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Another person nearby, Matthew Jennings of Marblehead, Massachusetts, gave Bukhari CPR and the girl regained consciousness.
"It could be a big tragedy but thanks to Allah almighty, that she’s with us today and we’re very happy, we’re very thankful,” Bukhari's dad, Imtiaz said.
On Monday morning, the rescuers were honored by the Vernon Police Department.
