New Jersey

Teens Credited With Saving 2 Young Children From Icy NJ Pond

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What to Know

  • A group of teenage boys is being credited for saving two young children from an icy pond they plunged into while sledding last week in New Jersey.
  • Two witnesses told reporters that they were at Beacon Hill Country Club in Atlantic Highlands on Thursday watching an 8-year-old and 4-year-old go down the hill on an inflatable sled. They said the youngsters hit a patch of ice and plummeted into the pond.
  • Five teenage boys apparently heard screams for help and ran over. One jumped in and the rest formed a human chain to bring the kids out safely.

A group of teenage boys is being credited for saving two young children from an icy pond they plunged into while sledding last week in New Jersey.

Stephanie Irlbeck and Rich Heid told reporters that they were at Beacon Hill Country Club in Atlantic Highlands on Thursday watching 8-year-old Olivia and 4-year-old R.J. go down the hill on an inflatable sled.

They said the youngsters hit a patch of ice and careened off course, then plummeted through the ice. Irlbeck said she started screaming and five teenage boys apparently heard her and ran over. One jumped in and the rest formed a human chain to bring the kids safely to shore.

Irlbeck posted a message of gratitude in the town’s local Facebook group that went viral. The incident was first reported by Patch.

The 14- and 15-year-old boys, all freshmen at Middletown High School North, said they did what anyone else would’ve done in the same situation. They said the pond wasn’t too deep, but if the kids had gone under the ice, they could’ve experienced hypothermia, NJ.com reported.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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