Hero officers speak out after saving boy from icy pond, warn of 'extremely dangerous' conditions
Police body camera footage shows the dramatic moment officers pulled a 13-year-old boy to safety after he fell through thin ice into a freezing pond in New Jersey.
Woolwich Township Police Department hailed responding officers "for their swift and decisive actions," which they said helped save the boy from the freezing water, according to a Facebook post about the incident shared Monday.
"Thanks to their quick decision making and teamwork, everyone involved was safely rescued and no injuries were reported," the department stated.
Initially the officers attempted to use ropes, the department said, but the boy yelled that he was losing feeling in his hands and unable to hold on, at which point several officers went out onto the thin ice to get him.
"The kid was so cold that he couldn't function. And he was screaming to us 'I can't hold it I can't hold it,'" Cpl. Steve Spithaler told ABC News Philadelphia station WPVI.
"Once he started screaming that he couldn't feel anything, I think my fatherly instincts kicked in, and I just went out and got him," Sgt. Joseph Rieger told WPVI.
Rieger said he crawled onto the ice and tried to pull the boy out of the freezing water, but the ice gave way under their combined weight.
"I tried to reach for him to pull him up onto the ice, and when I did that, we both went under," Rieger said. "At that point, I could stand. I was probably about up to my shoulders, so I just started throwing him up onto the ice and breaking my way back."
Spithaler and Patrolman Michael Scambia then rushed into the frigid water to assist and get the boy back to safety.
In its Facebook post Monday, the Woolwich Township Police Department thanked the "concerned citizen who heard the juvenile's screams and called 911, as well as the responding Logan Township Police officers and all first responders on scene for their assistance."
"As a reminder, lakes, ponds, and retention basins are not to be trespassed on unless explicitly permitted by posted signage," the department wrote. "Ice conditions are unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Please stay off the ice."
