Madison man saves 5-year-old girl from drowning in Monona creek

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -A local man is being called a hero after saving a little girl from drowning near Winnequah Park.

Lamont Nichols and his 5-year-old sister, Amiyah, are inseparable.

“She means a lot because that’s my little sister,” Nichols said. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

But last Thursday during a family trip to the park, the unthinkable happened.

“We had just gotten out of the car. I was unbuckling, and Amiyah was already out of the car. She took off running,” Nichols said.

Lamont said his little sister ran from the parking lot toward the park and she tried to cross the creek, mistaking it for grass. Before she knew it, she was under water.

“I was just about to jump in when Xeng just appeared out of nowhere,” Nichols said.

“I came running down here and I saw Amiyah. She was pretty much in the middle of the creek. All I saw was her head bobbing and her hands flapping,” Xeng Lee, who saved the 5-year-old from drowning said. Lee is a Madison police officer with the East district. He was off duty when he saw Amiyah.

Lee made a split-second decision to jump in the creek.

"The water was probably up to my chest," Lee said. "In my mind it just clicked. She needs help. I got to get there. I have to get her out to make sure she's safe."

“I was happy. I was grateful. I was thankful, and I wanted to find this person,” Cheri Cedarwall, Amiyah’s mom said.

Cedarwall was at work when it happened. A social media post helped her connect with Lee.

“The moment he walked up with his fiancé, I lost it. I was sobbing and they both gave me great big hugs,” she said. “He is our hero.”

Lee said he was just in the right place at the right time.

“It’s awesome to see that she’s [Amiyah] up and about and living on with her life. I’m happy,” Lee said.

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