Body cam footage from last Saturday shows Jonesboro Police Officer Troy Ellison rushing to aid a young kid who'd fallen through the ice at an apartment complex in the Southern city ... hopping over a wood barrier before crawling slowly across the fractured expanse.

The kid's body's submerged at this point -- arms barely gripping the edge of the rupture made when they fell in ... but Officer Ellison keeps a cool head and repeatedly assures the child they'll be alright while making his way toward the hysterical kiddo.

TE reaches the kid and seems to struggle pulling him up and out of the water at first. Thankfully, firefighters arrive on the scene at that point and toss him a rope from the edge of the pond -- he grabs it, and the group on the side pulls him and the child to safety.

Local outlets report the child was taken to the hospital to be checked for injuries though their identity has not been released to the public.