Drowning baby rescued on NSW Central Coast

An 18-month-old boy is lucky to be alive after he fell into the ocean on the NSW Central Coast.

About 9.30 on Friday night, the little boy’s parents were having dinner at the Bayview Hotel in Woy Woy, when his 10-year-old brother took the stroller he was strapped in and pushed it across the road towards the Woy Woy Ferry Wharf. 

One of the hotels staff, Jaye Narvo, was on her break outside when she saw the two brothers get into trouble.

“He was just pushing and the left front wheel sort of turned or hit something and caught the edge and he’s gone straight over,” Ms Narvo told 9News.

As she watched the toddler topple into the water, her first instinct was to jump in and swim towards the submerged stroller.

“I was trying to find him, but I couldn’t. But then I found his hand,” she said.

“He wasn’t crying at first and his little eyes were big, but then we got him up on the deck and he was screaming so it was a relief.”

If the younger brother wasn’t strapped into the stroller, it could have been a much different story.

“It can take a matter of seconds for a child to have irreparable damage,” NSW Ambulance Acting Superintendent Steve Vaughan told 9News.

“It was extremely quick thinking by the bystanders.”

Ms Narvo commended the little boy’s brother for the strength it took him to hold onto the stroller for as long as he could.