FDNY rescuers probe the water in Central Park to make sure everyone is out. Photo via FDNY.
Six young people — including one as young as 10 years old — fell through the ice in a pond near the southeast corner of Central Park early Monday evening. CBS talked to one of the teens.
McQueen said he and several of his friends wanted to take a group selfie, despite warning signs that the ice might be thin.
“We started to throw stuff on the ice to see if it would, and it wouldn’t break, so then we went on the ice,” he said.
McQueen was in horror the next thing he knew.
“Like, my chest was closing up, like, I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “We were all sinking down, and we were holding on to each other.”
Passers-by and emergency workers stepped up to rescue them. One of the rescuers said a boy was unconscious when he pulled him out. They were taken to different hospitals, and FDNY said the injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Witnesses and rescuers described what happened on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQwrMhilviE/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQwEYrjBya_/
NYers, there is no such thing as safe ice. Learn to be #FDNYSmart at https://t.co/zii5uY5RoV pic.twitter.com/FLQ3K5e0Xy
— FDNY (@FDNY) February 21, 2017
a flock of putzs’ – 65 Degrees – Hey ” lets go for a walk on the pond “
Darwinism at work – I feel bad for the FDNY rescue team that had to help these idiots.
I’m remembering stupider things I did at that age. Teenagers act impulsively. Cut them some slack.
sounds like a passing skateboarder got them all out; was he a fireman? where did he get the ladder?
Skateboarders are both “models” according to published reports.
https://nypost.com/2017/02/21/how-these-models-rescued-teens-from-central-parks-frozen-pond/
There are small red wooden ladders placed along the edge of the lakes for cases just like this.
They are ice rescue ladders. The park places them a few hundred yards apart along all the bodies of water in the park. They get placed mid fall and removed in late spring.
Chigrid, the Parks Department places rescue ladders near most of the larger bodies of water in the Park.
Amen!
Kids are dumb. Kids make mistakes. You would rather they be left to die?
@GeezersRscum I didn’t hear anyone suggest they shouldn’t be rescued. Relax.
Kathleen – Darwinism i.e. survival of the fittest, implies they should have died. Relaxed or not, that is pretty clear.
Actually it only implies that they would be unable to produce viable offspring.
Beautiful NYFD to the rescue. They are our heroes. Grateful to them every day.
Not FDNY to rescue, rather passersby.
Charge the kids for the Firefighters’ rescue efforts.
The two guys who jumped in to save them – what heroes!!
Darwinism at its best. Hope parents are billed by city for whatever it cost to rescue these morons
I think it’s worth pointing out that yes they are idiots, but this is not how the fire department works. All of us (including, presumably, the kids’ parents) pay taxes that go to such services, regardless of how dumbly and undeservedly they are used.
I guess you never did anything dumb when you were a kid, Mike?
Thank goodness they are ok.
This is amazing. Yes, those kids did a dumb thing but the two guys that risked their own lives to save the lives of strangers are heros. They’ve got a lot of good karma coming their way. Kudos! Nice to hear stories like this instead of all the negative stuff.
It elevates my spirit to hear of the braving of these two young men. It’s hard not to be proud listening to his retelling the tale of rescue. When too many people think millennials are all about themselves and their selfies it’s good to “meet,” these two and know they share our city too.
Am I reading this wrong or are other posters just skipping the facts? It appears that Bennett Jonas and Ethan Turnbull saved the kids from drowning and the FD were called in during/after the rescue to search the water. I just saw the story on the news and someone was standing off at a distance videotaping the kids scrambling to hold on and not go under.They all looked extremely young. I’m just shocked that there were no adults with them because obviously they weren’t old enough or mature enough to be out on their own. They were kids very fortunate that Jonas and Turnbull came by and acted as fast as they did.
Anyone care to lay odds one or more of the parents of these Darwin Award of The Year kids will sue NYC?
Yes, there are signs everywhere warning to stay off the body of water; but maybe the city should have built a wall or fenced the property off…….