Pasco deputy rescues near drowning man from canal

NEW PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - A dramatic rescue was caught on a Pasco County deputy's body camera.

The man being rescued appears lifeless and on the verge of drowning as first responders work to resuscitate him after pulling him from the canal.

Thankfully, just a day after the ordeal, the man is able to walk and talk - and told FOX 13 what he remembers.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Juan Carlos Munoz nearly drowned Thursday morning in a canal near Green Key Road.

Munoz is a groundskeeper and said he was tending to his boss' boat when he became trapped between the boat and the dock. 

He said he was stuck there for about 30 minutes before his wife found him and called 911. 

Munoz, who said he cannot swim, had barely held his head above water before the deputy was able to pull him from the water.

"They needed help and they didn't need it 5 minutes from now, they need it 5 minutes ago," said deputy Taylor Grant, who rescued Munoz. "We have to play catch up and get there as fast as possible."

Munoz was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was listed in critical condition, but Friday afternoon, he was recovering at home and feeling grateful for the deputy's life-saving actions.