A family is feeling grateful after meeting the officer who helped save the life of their then-1-year-old daughter. Bay Harbor Islands Police Commander Tomas Rego was honored on Wednesday night during the council meeting for his quick actions last year at the Haulover sandbar. “I see my train ing kicking in, and I see my kid’s face, so I was like, ‘I have to do something,’ he said as he recalled that day. According to officials, on July 3, 2025, Rego was off duty, but decided to do an additional patrol in the Indian Creek canal when he suddenly heard a woman’s screams. “When I look to my left, I see her jumping in the pool, all dressed up, and she pulls this lifeless baby,” recalled Rego. Without hesitation, he raced over to the waterfront home to see what was going on, and that’s when he saw the young child. “As I’m looking at the child, I don’t first see her face; I see one of my kids’ faces, and I think that’s instinct. As a parent, you never want to be in a situation like that. The mother is telling me, ‘Don’t let my daughter die. Don’t let my daughter die,'” said Rego. When he heard the screams, Rego said he was on the phone with his chief of police and never hung up. Chief Luis Alvarez was also present at Wednesday’s meeting and described what he heard through the phone. “The child was unconscious, not breathing, pulseless, and had foam coming from her mouth and nose. I could hear him beginning to calm the woman down. She was hysterical cause obviously it was her daughter in the pool,” Alvarez said. Rego quickly began administering CPR to 1-year-old Noa. After just two rounds, the child responded. “She started throwing up. She gave the best cry that I heard in a long time,” said Rego. The family said they are so thankful for Rego’s quick thinking and life-saving skills. “It was a big miracle. I was just an emotional wreck. Crying tears of joy. Like it was like an out-of-body experience, but all I heard when she said, ‘Mama,’ I knew she was going to be OK,” said Tiffany Leaf, Noa’s mother. On Wednesday, the council recognized Rego in front of the community. He was presented with several awards, including a life-saving award from the police department for his actions that saved Noa’s life. Since then, Noa has celebrated another birthday and is now 2 years old. The family says Rego’s efforts have brought the family and him together as he saved the young girl’s life. “We send him pictures. We keep in touch now because he’s like, ‘We’re going to be a part of each other’s lives,’ because he really saved her life,” said Leaf. Rego is a trained CPR instructor and passionate about teaching the community the skills they need to save lives. During the year, he teaches local officials and his own fellow officers how to perform CPR. During Wednesday’s event, the commander said his greatest reward is seeing Noa alive and well. “I found a new family to call friends, and this is all because Noa is here,” he said. ...read more read less