Officer saves child from drowning

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 27, 2025, Sergeant Christopher Bellamy was conducting a routine patrol in the Cherry Grove Beach neighborhood of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., when, by chance, he looked over to the waterway behind a residence on 33rd Avenue North and noticed what appeared to be a golf cart overturned in the waterway. Sergeant Bellamy immediately turned around to investigate the apparent incident and arrived at a residence located at 406 33rd Avenue North.

Upon exiting his patrol vehicle, Sergeant Bellamy heard screams coming from the rear of the house and observed other residents running towards the backyard and waterway.  As he rounded the corner of the house, he found a chaotic scene of a low-speed vehicle partially submerged on its side in approximately three feet of water, with three older female victims still seat belted into the vehicle and other bystanders were attempting to extract the victims. Sergeant Bellamy immediately began calling for assistance for other police units and the North Myrtle Beach Fire Department to respond as he entered the water to take charge of the rescue efforts.

As Sergeant Bellamy began to assist in extracting the women, one of the victims stated her four-year-old grandson was underneath her, completely submerged in the water. Sergeant Bellamy attempted to release her seat belt, but due to the angle at which the low-speed vehicle was resting and because the seatbelt had locked, he was unable to release the belt. He immediately pulled out his pocketknife and cut the seat belt, restraining the child’s grandmother and lifted her out of the way to get to the little boy. As Sergeant Bellamy grabbed the little boy’s arm and attempted to pull him from the wreckage, he quickly discovered the child was also restrained by a seat belt.  Again, Sergeant Bellamy hurriedly used his pocketknife to cut the little boy free from the vehicle wreckage and immediately climbed out of the water with his lifeless body to begin CPR and inform other responders of the situation.

Sergeant Bellamy immediately laid the little boy on the ground and began chest compressions, encouraging him to breathe alongside the little boy’s mother. After approximately 20 seconds of chest compressions, the child vomited water and began to have sporadic agonal breathing.  Sergeant Bellamy continued to provide chest compressions and encouraged him to breathe and after a full minute and a half, he began to regain consciousness and to breathe on his own while coughing up more water.

The child was transported to the local hospital, where he made a full recovery after a couple of days of receiving medical care. If it were not for Sergeant Bellamy’s keen awareness and quick actions, he would not have survived, as he was submerged underwater for approximately four minutes before Sergeant Bellamy freed him from the wreckage.

Sergeant Bellamy’s calm leadership and steadfast actions most assuredly saved a precious life.