Hero Police Officer Rushes Into Texas Tornado To Rescue K9 Partner

Officer Joel Nitchman and his K9 partner, Roni [Image Inside Edition/YouTube]

When a tornado hit Deer Park in Texas on Tuesday, January 24, a police officer became a hero to his beloved K9 Partner, Roni. The security camera footage soon went viral, revealing Officer Joel Nitchman struggling to get to his cruiser in the middle of a tornado. His aim was to rescue his much-loved K9 partner, Roni.

Viral video captures officer rescuing his K9 partner

As the wind grew stronger outside, Officer Nitchman at first had no idea that a tornado would shortly hit Deer Park, Texas. However, because the wind seemed pretty strong, Nitchman realized his K9 partner, Roni, could potentially be in danger. Moreover, his wife phoned him, telling him that they were in the “closet right now” due to the coming tornado.

Officer Joel Nitchman and his K9 partner, Roni [Image Inside Edition/YouTube]

A security camera caught the action as the police officer struggled to reach his cruiser, amongst strong winds and rain outside the statement. Meanwhile, another person can be seen in the parking lot, which was clearly sprinting inside to safety.

Meanwhile, Officer Nitchman acknowledged later that he couldn’t see anything outside for a while. However, in an interview, the brave officer said about his rescue of Roni:

I knew something was bad when things were hitting my face. I knew it was debris of some kind. Once I went around the car, that’s when all heck broke loose. I could barely open his door. When I did – he’s a smart dog – he saw what was going on outside and he said I’m not coming out.

However, obviously, the danger of the tornado blowing the cruiser in its wake, Nitchman had to coax his K9, saying, “Come on buddy. Let’s go.”  However, it still took quite a while to persuade Roni to leave the vehicle and head for safety. Watch the brave officer in action rescuing his K9 in the video below.

Officer Nitchman and Roni

According to Nitchman, he and Roni have been inseparable partners since 2018. When the video went viral, the brave officer said he would do it again, saying:

I love that dog. He’s my hip attachment almost every day of the week. He’s a part of our family. We can’t leave a loved one like that. There’s no way I was going to leave him like that.

K9 Roni [Image Inside Edition/YouTube]

The National Weather Service in Houston reported that an EF3 tornado blasted over Pasadena and Deer Park last Wednesday. The maximum path width of the tornado was 0.66 miles, and its top wind speed reached 140 miles per hour.

While the storm did considerable property damage in Deer Park, fortunately, there were no fatalities. Thanks to Joel, he and Roni are enjoying more wonderful days of working together.