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BWC: N.Y. officers enter frigid pond to rescue boy who fell through thin ice

Body camera footage from the Suffolk County Police Department shows officers walking into the pond, tossing the boy a life ring before one sergeant went out to retrieve him

By Brian Niemietz
New York Daily News

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — A Long Island boy was rescued by police after falling through a thinly frozen pond on Christmas Day.

The 8-year-old youngster was playing on an ice-covered part of a pond in East Patchogue when the surface gave way, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

On Thursday, cops said a resident called 911 when they saw the unidentified boy stuck chest-deep and unable to free himself from the frigid water outside the Heatherwood Lakeside Village apartment complex.

“Fifth Precinct Officers James Rizzo and Andrew Tirelli entered the pond and attempted to throw a life ring to the child while Highway Sergeant Michael Santillo crossed the ice to reach the child and pull him from the water,” according to the Suffolk County cops.

Authorities said the child was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk in Patchogue for evaluation around 1 p.m. Officers had no further information to offer Thursday evening.

Temperatures in East Patchhogue were around 46 degrees Thursday with lows expected to drop below freezing.

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