Snipers Provide Cover As Divers Jump Into Alligator-Infested Pond To Rescue Mother, Son

Miami -- Florida snipers were on alert, providing cover for divers who jumped into an alligator-infested pond to search for a missing mother and son.

Nieves Matos, 80, and her son, Mario Laza, 56, were traveling along the Florida Turnpike in Miami on Friday when their vehicle careened into a roadside pond.

Witnesses tried to rescue the duo but failed, following which police rescue teams jumped into the waters to locate the victims, as per WSVN. As cops realized that the waters were infested with alligators, they quickly informed snipers to provide cover in case of a potential attack.

Images shared by local media showed snipers lying on their stomachs with guns trained on the water as alligators swam around the pond.

Cops found both Matos and her son in the water and pulled them out. While Matos survived, her son died in a local hospital. Authorities also pulled put the vehicle out of the water, the New York Post reported.

"The vehicle lost control, overturned, driving off of the roadway into the pond," Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alex Camacho said in the aftermath. "Dive teams from fire rescue and Miami-Dade Police did their search and rescue, and were able to rescue an adult female and adult male inside of the vehicle at the time."

Laza, who worked at a Miami Springs gas station, was remembered by his friends as family.

"I miss his smile, everything, how he talked, everything," Yusle Disperez told WSVN. "To me, we lost the light of this gas station."

Carlos Borras, another friend, said: "We are in shock right now for this situation, but I hope he rests in peace."

Relatives of the mother and son set up a GoFundMe page in the wake of the tragic incident to help cover funeral expenses.

The page described Laza as 'a person that you would never forget just by meeting him once... He was someone full of life, laughter, and good times to share, with a giant heart and a unique personality."

As of early Tuesday, the page raised $4,960 of the $6,000 goal for the family.