NJ officers plunge into icy lake to save 13-year-old boy

Sgt. Joseph Rieger, Cpl. Steven Spithaler, and Patrolman Michael Scambia are our honorees for today. Three heroes!

We've been talking about the dangers of crossing over a frozen body of water this winter as ice does not necessarily freeze evenly.

In many cases, just a few steps from a safe spot that is more than 4 inches thick, there might be a thin spot where you'll end up in the water. This can be deadly for sure.

Last week a call came in that a 13-year-old kid had fallen through the ice on a local lake. Officers responded to the scene within minutes. Rolling up on the situation, there was no time to waste.

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Officer plunges into freezing water to save 13-year-old

Sgt. Reiger took out a rope and attempted to pull the child out of the water, but the child was unable to get a grip. Without hesitation, Reiger crawled across the ice to get closer to the child.

As he moved forward, the ice cracked and gave way. Into the freezing water, but the ice gave way beneath him. Reiger, despite being in the water, was able to grab the child, who was in serious distress.

As Rieger later explained:

"He was screaming for help. He had been out there for several minutes already."

Fellow officers follow without hesitation in life-or-death rescue

When Sgt. Reiger hit the water, Cpl. Spithaler and Patrolman Scambia immediately entered the water as well to assist the Sgt in the rescue.

Spithaler later described the moment:

"Patrolman Scambia and I just said, 'That's it, we're going in. 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.'"

With the help of all three officers, the 13-year-old was safely brought back to land, and taken to a local hospital as a precaution.

The Woolwich Township Police Department said this in a statement on Facebook:

“Thanks to their quick decision making and teamwork, everyone involved was safely rescued and no injuries were reported."

Police also thanked a concerned citizen who called 911 after hearing the boy’s screams, and Logan Township Police officers, along with other first responders who assisted at the scene.

Thank you to Sgt. Joseph Rieger, Corporal Steven Spithaler, and Michael Patrolman Scambia.

They are out Blue Friday honorees this week.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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