Florida Deputy Jumps into Shark-Filled Waters to Save Grandfather (Video)

A Florida sheriff’s deputy is being hailed as a hero after jumping into dark, shark-inhabited waters to rescue a 72-year-old grandfather who spent more than an hour clinging to a pipe after falling from his wheelchair.

Dramatic bodycam footage captured Volusia County Sheriff’s Sgt. William Leven rushing to save Bill Von Herbulis at a marina in New Smyrna Beach on September 27.

Von Herbulis, a grandfather of six who has used a wheelchair for nearly two decades, was heading home from an evening of fishing around 7:30 p.m. when disaster struck.

According to Fox News Digital, a wagon carrying his fishing equipment struck a dock box, causing his electric wheelchair to overturn and sending him plunging into the water.

His cellphone went in with him, leaving him unable to call for help.

Despite being unable to stand or walk since breaking his neck 19 years ago, Von Herbulis managed to reach the surface and grab an electrical pipe between two boat slips.

The rising tide proved crucial. He later explained that if the water had been lower, the pipe would have been several feet beyond his reach.

For more than an hour, he held on in the darkness, repeatedly shouting for help as he struggled to keep his head above water.

“I’m thinking, am I gonna have to wait here all night?” he recalled during an interview with Fox News Digital.

Eventually, a fisherman heard his cries and called 911.

Deputies responded to the marina on North Peninsula Avenue around 8:55 p.m., but rescuers faced another obstacle. The waterfront area was behind a locked gate.

Once Sgt. Leven reached the dock, he spotted Von Herbulis still clinging to the pipe.

Bodycam footage shows the sergeant quickly removing his gun belt and other equipment before grabbing a rescue buoy and entering the water.

Deputy Boris Rodriguez also responded to the emergency as Leven made his way toward the stranded grandfather.

The rescue was particularly dangerous because of the marina’s sharp oyster shells, barnacle-covered pilings and surrounding waterways known to contain sharks.

Leven reached Von Herbulis, helped support him with the flotation device and guided him toward a nearby stairway, where other responders assisted in getting him safely back onto the dock.

Firefighters evaluated the grandfather at the scene, but authorities said he suffered no reported injuries and declined further medical treatment.

The frightening ordeal happened near Ponce de Leon Inlet, an area along Florida’s Atlantic coast known for frequent shark activity. However, officials did not report any sharks approaching the men during the rescue.

For Von Herbulis, who regularly fishes and checks crab traps near his home, the close call apparently wasn’t enough to keep him away from the water.

“I was back the next day,” he told Fox News Digital.

His wife, Lori Von Herbulis, wasn’t surprised.

“He doesn’t miss,” she said of her husband’s devotion to fishing.

The grandfather even managed to joke about the possibility of encountering sharks during his ordeal.

“There’s obviously sharks in that water,” he said. “But they didn’t want me.”

Leven is expected to receive a Lifesaving Award in recognition of his quick actions, according to Fox News Digital.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office also shared footage of the September rescue, drawing attention to the sergeant’s willingness to enter the water to help a man who had no way to escape on his own.

For Von Herbulis and his family, what began as an ordinary evening of fishing ended with a frightening reminder of how quickly an accident can turn into a life-threatening emergency — and how one deputy’s quick response helped bring a grandfather safely home.