Suffolk police rescue boy, 8, who fell through ice in East Patchogue on Christmas Day
A child was rescued after falling through ice on a pond at a residential complex in Patchogue Thursday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
An 8-year-old boy who fell through the ice in an East Patchogue pond on Christmas Day was rescued by Suffolk County police, authorities said.
The child was playing on the ice covering the waist-deep pond in the Heatherwood Lakeside Village apartment complex around 1 p.m. on an unseasonably warm winter day when he fell through, police said Thursday in a news release. He could not pull himself out of the water, police said.
A neighbor at the Pondview Drive complex saw the boy trapped in the ice and called for help.
Officers James Rizzo and Andrew Tirelli, both with Suffolk's Fifth Precinct, tried to throw the boy a life ring, police said.
At the same time, Highway Sgt. Michael Santillo made his way onto the ice where the boy was stuck and pulled him out, the release said.
The child was taken to the nearby NYU Langone Hospital Suffolk in Patchogue to be evaluated.
Temperatures on Thursday swung from just below freezing to nearly 50 degrees, according to weather reports.
Sarra Sounds Off: Suffolk Hall of Fame Class of 2026 On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," the Suffolk Hall of Fame class of 2026, former NFL Quarterback Mike Buck and Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week. Credit: Newsday
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