Watch N.Y. Police Officer Crawl across Ice to Rescue Boy in Pond

Suffolk County police made a Christmas Day rescue when they pulled an 8-year-old child from an ice-covered pond in East Patchogue after he fell in the water.

Jan. 5, 2026

2 min read

What to know

Suffolk County police rescued an 8-year-old boy who fell through thin ice on a pond in East Patchogue on Christmas Day and was trapped chest-deep in frigid water.
Officers entered the pond and crossed the ice to use a life ring to pull the child to safety after a resident called 9-1-1.
The boy was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

By Brian Niemietz

Source New York Daily News

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 (Dec. 25), 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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