JAMES CITY Co., Va. - A man says he was in the right place at the right time to save a 7-year-old girl who fell into his apartment complex pool late afternoon Sunday.
The incident happened inside Stratford at Williamsburg apartments.
Robert Rhoades, 23, says he had just returned home from his job as a server and was in his bedroom getting ready to change out of his clothes when he heard a splash.
Rhoades says his window faces the pool and when he looked out he saw a little girl struggling to stay above the water and within seconds start to sink.
Rhoades rushed out of his apartment and climbed the fence surrounding the pool.
"By the time I got to the pool she was at the bottom. I dove in and grabbed her, brought her up, squeezed her and she started spitting up water everywhere," said Rhoades. "It was really scary."
The girl was quickly brought back to her mother who took her daughter to the hospital.
The girl's mother didn't want herself or her daughter identified, but says her daughter was playing outside and was given specific instructions to stay in front of their apartment. She says she's grateful Rhoades was there to save her little girl.
"After getting her out I realized no one else had [seen] her fall in," said Rhoades. "I'm just glad I was there at that moment to see it."
The next day Rhoades says the girl brought him a note calling him her hero. The note included a picture with him wearing a cape.
