Drowning teen saved by Nogales police officer says nightmare became miracle

NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Lopez family says Sunday was the worst day of their lives until Officer Hernandez, with the Nogales Police Department, stepped in and changed their lives forever.

Their 14-year-old son, Christian Lopez, was swimming with his sister when he nearly drowned.

“Everything went black and I went into a dream,” Christian said.

His mother, Laura Lopez says that dream turned into a nightmare. “It felt like half my heart had died with him. When I saw him on the floor like that I lost it. I was a mess. I was shaking.”

Christian sank to the bottom of a hotel pool after getting a cramp and slipping into the deep end.

“I do a handstand and I slip and fly over six or seven feet and I try to get up but I can't so I use the last bit of strength that I had to jump out of the water and yell help,” Christian said.

His family and bystanders jumped into the water to pull him out.

“They kept doing turns with the CPR, preforming it and so officer Hernandez came in and I saw him get off his car and I started screaming hurry, hurry! He got to him and started doing CPR,” Laura Lopez said.

Officer Hernandez was able to get Christian responsive and into an ambulance.

“In the middle of the drive in the ambulance they were telling me if I was in there for a minute longer I wouldn’t be here and how they were about to pronounce me dead," Christian said.

From a nightmare to a miracle, the family says they can't thank officer Hernandez enough.

“I’m forever grateful and I don’t know how but I have to find some way to repay him because it’s just impossible to think of a way to repay him.”

The Lopez Family encourages all families to consider getting CPR certified and to always remember to keep an eye on your kids regardless of how old they are.