4-year-old boy nearly drowns in retention pond

Mom: Neighbor pulls boy from water after he falls in trying to catch minnows

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 4-year-old boy is recovering Friday after nearly drowning in a retention pond behind his grandfather's home.

A neighbor rescued the boy from the water after he fell in while trying to catch minnows, the boy's mother, Tatiana Moody, said.

She said she dropped off her son, Jeffrey, and her 6-year-old daughter, Anastasia, at her father's house on Indigo Hills Lane at about 10 a.m. Friday because she had a doctor's appointment. She said her brother and sister live at the home, which is just south of Normandy Boulevard near McGirts Creek, and often watch the children for her.

She said they were supposed to be watching the children Friday but didn't know that they had slipped outside.

Jeffrey told his mother that he was chasing geese and wanted to find minnows in the pond when he fell into the water. She said Jeffrey knows how to swim and she is thankful that he's alive.

Neighbors told News4Jax that they often see children by the pond alone and that police had been at the home before.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said officers have been to the home six times in the last eight months for calls, including domestic disturbances, noise complaints and an unspecified investigation.

New4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said retention ponds can be a general cause for concern.

"It's a safety hazard whenever you have a retention pond that borders your property, especially when you have small kids," Smith said. "It would be good to have some type of fencing there, fencing on your property, so the kids can't get back into that area, and make sure they stay in that fenced-in area."