Watch the video ... the deputy, Wes Brough, is seen running through the woods while looking for a young boy with autism, who had wandered away from home. After searching high and low for the youngster, Deputy Brough eventually hears the kiddo shout out for help ... and realizes the boy is hanging onto a log in the middle of a pond.

The deputy wastes no time, as he throws off his belt and jumps right into water. Thankfully, his fellow officer's camera picks up where his body cam leaves off ... as it shows the deputy scooping up the child and safely bringing him to the shore.

As the video began to make the rounds online, the Volusia Sheriff's Office shed light on the specifics surrounding the incident. Per the VSO, deputies responded to a call Tuesday evening in Deltona, Florida ... where the boy's father informed the deputies his son escaped their home through a 2nd-story door.

The Sheriff's Department said the family did take several measures to secure their home, including installing an alarm on the door ... which immediately alerted them to their son's exit.

The family and neighbors searched for the young boy before calling 911 for assistance.

Upon learning that the young boy was fascinated with water, the team began checking nearby bodies of water ... ultimately locating the kid in a pond a few blocks away.

Deputy Brough and the other deputies had the boy medically cleared before returning him to his parents.

They concluded ... "Like all VSO deputies, Deputy Brough has received Autism Awareness Training to help prepare for a wide variety of calls involving people with autism, including missing children."