Father jumps over four-foot fence to save one-year-old son from drowning in pool

'Baby gates only work when you close them'

A father is being praised for his quick response after video captured him jumping over a four-foot fence to save his one-year-old son from drowning.

On Sunday, Albert Passavanti and his family were spending time by their pool in Palm Beach, Florida when toddler Rocco fell into the water while chasing an inflatable ball.

When Passavanti realised his son had fallen in he reacted immediately, jumping over the four-foot fence and into the water.

“The second you see it; you get Superman strength and you just have to go for it, whatever you got to do,” he told WPTV. “It didn’t even cross my mind to go around. It was point A to point B.”

Although there was a fence around the pool, it was not closed entirely.

Passavanti shared the video on Facebook, where he wrote: “Baby gates only work when you close them.”

In the comments, the father elaborated, adding “the gate is always shut unless there’s a capable adult present” but that “Rocco is getting faster and more daring so us parents are stepping up our preventative measures including swim lessons”.

Passavanti concluded his recount of the incident by reminding parents to always be aware of their children when they are near water.

“Can’t stress enough, nothing is as effective as watching your kids very closely,” he said.

In response to the rescue, people have applauded Passavanti's "dad reflexes".

Passavanti jumped over the fence to reach his one-year-old son (Facebook)

Father says it didn't cross his mind to go around the fence (Facebook)

"That was a pretty impressive dive he did over that gate!" one person wrote. "Good dad reflexes!"

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is responsible for more deaths among children aged one to four than any other cause except birth defects.

In 2017, almost 1,000 children in the US drowned, according to a study from the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP).

In addition to keeping a constant watch on young children near water, the AAP also suggests parents learn CPR and employ other safety measures such as life jackets.