A zookeeper in England has been praised for her heroism after jumping into a crocodile pen to rescue a 3-year-old boy on Thursday.

Tracey Johnson, who owns Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo in Huntingdon with husband Andy Johnson, quickly entered the enclosure after learning that the small child was inside, Cambridgeshire Live reports. Andy Johnson told the BBC that his wife had jumped into the enclosure, which is about 15 feet down below raised, fenced walkways, to grab the child.

The boy, who was visiting the zoo with his family, had been forced into the pen by a 30-year-old man who was arrested for attempted murder. Cambridgeshire police said the man and child did not know each other.

“She put herself in immense danger,” Chris Newman, director of the National Centre For Reptile Welfare and a friend of the Johnsons, told the BBC. He also lauded her “remarkable bravery.”

“She’d always put her own life at risk to save someone else,” he said. “She’s an extraordinary lady and very brave.”

He told Cambridgeshire Live that, due to the height of the fences around the walkways, he believes the boy would have had to be thrown into the enclosure.

Police said Thursday that the boy sustained serious injuries from the incident and was in critical, but stable, condition at a hospital. It was not immediately clear if his injuries came from the crocodiles or from the drop down into the pen.

The suspect, who reportedly has intellectual disabilities, has been released on bail.

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