Dive team pulls boy, 13, from northwest Miami-Dade canal

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A dive team pulled a 13-year-old boy from a canal in northwest Miami-Dade Tuesday afternoon after officials said they’d received a call of a possible drowning.

The incident happened just before 4 p.m. in the Little River Canal, in the 100 block of Northwest 85th Street in the unincorporated West Little River area.

A Miami-Dade police spokesperson said someone called 911 to report that the child went into the water and didn’t come back up.

Surveillance video captured the teen behind a home along Northwest 85th Street with a friend. He urinates on the property before he runs and jumps into the water.

He’s seen struggling and at one point, a resident of the building comes out and tried to help by grabbing a paddle and then a canoe.

“My roommate came out and tried to save him with a paddle,” said property manager Paul Stoppelwerth. “He couldn’t reach the paddle and he called 911.”

According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, medics were taking the child to a local hospital.

Natasha Rogers, the boy’s aunt, told Local 10 News she was informed that the boy was stabilized and had a pulse as of early Tuesday evening.

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Sanela Sabovic

Sanela Sabovic

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.

Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.