Officer crawls across ladder over rushing floodwaters to save child, NM cops say

A New Mexico state police officer crawled across a ladder over rushing floodwaters with a child on his back in a daring rescue, officials reported.

Officer Walker Eby responded to a report of an overturned vehicle caught in flooding near Buckhorn just after 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, the New Mexico State Police said in a news release.

He found a woman, child and dog trapped on top of the wrecked vehicle in the rushing water, a video with the release shows. Local firefighters and volunteers also arrived to help.

A backhoe stopped the vehicle from being pulled farther downstream, police said.

Eby crawled across a ladder over the water to the vehicle, then crawled back with the child on his back, the video shows.

He returned to the vehicle with a safety line for the woman and a harness for the dog, both of whom also were safely rescued, police said.

“We are incredibly proud of the bravery displayed by Officer Eby, our first-responder partners, and the local residents in this increasingly dangerous situation,” police said in the release.

Buckhorn is about a 270-mile drive southwest from Albuquerque.

This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Officer crawls across ladder over rushing floodwaters to save child, NM cops say."