Coconut Creek, Florida, police Officer Ethan Rodriguez was off duty and traveling way outside his jurisdiction when he observed a clog of drivers who stopped because of a roll-over crash on a bustling New York expressway during rainfall.
As any on-the-spot cop would, Officer Rodriguez told his family to remain in their car while he went out to assess and mitigate the scene, essentially pulling a frightened woman from the vehicle’s compartment.
No stranger to public service, Officer Rodriguez enlisted as a soldier with the United States Army. Honorably discharged, he applied and was hired by the Coconut Creek Police Department, a city in Broward County, Florida.
(Photo courtesy of the Coconut Creek Police Department.)
Quick detour: I am highlighting the ARMY pin affixed to Officer Rodriguez’s police uniform because a little-known fact is that not every law enforcement agency allows achievements to be publicly displayed. You see, a certain political party in power seems to enjoy making a stink over particular icons they deem unnecessary or offensive to others or whatever cockamamie reason they muster.
“In God We Trust” graphics on police cruisers? Gone with the political winds.
Yet God is the One Who perfectly orchestrated Officer Rodriguez’s pathway to this horrific crash scene, pulling the female occupant to safety and ensuring no other lives were facing peril. That’s how I see it.
Right Place, Right Time
A spokesperson with the Coconut Creek PD explained: “Officer Rodriguez, on vacation earlier this year while visiting family in his home state of New York, was at the right place at the right time to pull a woman out of a flipped car on a rain-soaked highway.”
(Photo courtesy of the Coconut Creek Police Department.)
As one who accumulates episodes of cops who were at the right place and the right time, whether off- or on-duty, I marvel at the organic nature of law enforcement officers who have risked themselves in dangerous conditions to save lives.
Some cops who long ago plucked people from dire circumstances are bestowed the heartrending honor of reunification, embracing the fruits of their labor by hugging a wayward youngster or whomever they salvaged from a bad situation years ago.
I suspect this incident involving Officer Rodriguez will eventually form into one of those poignant moments, at the police station or wherever they happen to be together, rekindling the day when the odds didn’t look so good but his gamble paid off…for everyone involved.
Officer Rodriguez’s family, waiting in their car, got to see him in action. With tears in their eyes and lumps in their throats, his loved ones were able to garner glee in a bittersweet way.
It is ordinarily second-hand revelations from an officer to his family, the latter getting a glimpse of dutiful events, good and/or bad, of what their cop does in this often-sordid society. So much to process from this factor, a few of which are pride, elation, selflessness, peacekeeping, and relative omnipresence.
Speaking of omnipresence, what if the abolitionists and anti-police buglers totally got their way?
Instances of an unexpected savior such as Officer Rodriguez spontaneously showing up and showing out by pulling someone out of hysteria and to safety would be nil.
Respectfully, as Officer Rodriguez rightly explained: “Civilians were standing by and not really sure what to do, so I just told my dad to slow down and I hopped out of the passenger seat of the vehicle.
“There was a woman still inside [the overturned car], pretty scared, and she needed help. And there were no other occupants, but I was able to pull her out. Your [law enforcement] training just kicks in automatically. Whereas other people don’t really know what to do, which is fine, most people don’t know what to do in these kinds of situations but that’s why we’re specifically trained to do it.”
(Photo courtesy of the Coconut Creek Police Department.)
Officer Rodriguez added how the spiritual realms surrounded the entire rescue operation, saying, “Being in the right place at the right time…I believe I was there for a reason.”
When training at the police academy, the instructors would harp on the fact that very bad things happen to people…and being a cop means you are the one many look to when folks are unsure of what to do when emergent help is needed.
I immediately found that to be true when off duty…
Coming upon scenes as an off-duty cop, where on-duty first responders were on the way and had not arrived yet, pillars always carrying the badge (clipped to a waistband or hanging from a lanyard around the neck) and holstered service weapon (clipped to the waistband on the dominant-arm side), a set I’d never leave home without.
The startled expressions of bystanders at scenes requiring trained first responders to intervene and take control were typically evident; they’d see the flash of a police shield (badge) and perhaps a glimpse of the firearm in a holster (or in hand, depending on the type of unmitigated situation), usually eliciting a facial expression of relief: “Thank God!”
In these circumstances, when on-duty first responders arrive on the scene, the off-duty saviors relay details and are often listed as “witnesses” in the official police or fire department reports.
Amen to on-the-spot cops who unhesitatingly forge forward, whether summoned or impromptu!
As our beloved friend, retired Miami-Dade Police Sergeant JC Prellezo echoed about first responders: “Nobody responds to anything better than we do!”
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