Dad heroically dived over 4-foot gate to save his toddler from drowning in pool

The dad shared an incident and how his kid fell into the pool to warn other parents about safety.

PUBLISHED JUL 31, 2025

(L) A kid drowning in water. (R) A man diving inside a pool. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Spivak222; AzmanL

Even minutes can make a huge difference when it comes to saving a person's life in emergencies. A dad showed just that when he jumped over a four-foot pool fence to save his toddler from drowning. The man, Albert Passavanti, shared a video on Facebook of his toddler, Rocco, falling into the pool and of him following immediately after as a cautionary clip to keep pool gates closed. However, many people also applauded the dad for his quick action while saving the kid.

A baby inside the water. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Mayte Torres

Passavanti was sitting on a pool chair and lounging with another person when Rocco entered the pool area because the fence gate was open from one side. The boy was trying to get to an inflatable pool ball when he fell all of a sudden. He started drowning, but his dad followed him immediately after and jumped over the fence to get him out. Passavanti was able to get Rocco out safely and the kid was unharmed. The caption read, "Baby gates only work when you close them." The footage was captured by the family's nest camera and helped them share the incident on the internet. The dad felt that he would get hateful comments for letting his 18-month-old go near the pool, but he was ready to take them if it could become an example for someone and save a child, per TODAY.com.

Man diving inside a pool. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Stanislaw Pytel

"We knew we were putting ourselves out there for judgment. But we wanted to show how accidents can happen in a split second," Rocco's mom, Dawn Passavanti, admitted. "My husband was watching from a lounge chair and was able to react quickly. He scooped Rocco right out." She added, "Albert and his brother had their eyes on Rocco and I was right there too. But if we had been distracted by our phones or cooking on the grill, it could have been minutes before we realized what had happened." The mom went on, "If you have a pool gate, keep it closed at all times. Even if an adult is there. Keep it closed."

via GIPHY

Drowning is the fourth leading cause of death in children aged one to four, according to a report by the WHO. It causes around 300,000 deaths worldwide and a quarter of those are children under the age of 5, who are disproportionately affected by drowning. Young children are at high risk because of an underdeveloped swimming ability and a lack of capability to understand the risk of being close to water. People applauded the dad for quickly saving his child in the comments section of the video.

Chris Graham wrote, "Bro, I give that a solid 9.6, form was solid, altitude was surprisingly higher than I ever would have imagined, splash was minimal, toes weren't quite fully pointed, so I had to dock you the 0.4, otherwise a podium worthy effort." Casey Buckley commented, "Life Saver Pool Fence of Palm Beach County. Offer always on the table if you want a self-closing gate." Angel Craig remarked, "Contact a local ISR Swim instructor as soon as possible for swim lessons. Babies can learn as young as 6 months." Jonathan Gavel shared, "Just saw this on the local news. So glad this has a happy ending. Great job, Daddy."