Teen rescued after falling through ice in Westborough pond

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — A 19-year-old man was rescued after falling through ice while skating on Mill Pond.

Crews responded to the area after receiving multiple emergency calls reporting a person falling through ice just after 3 p.m. Monday.

Sky25 was over the active scene on Mill Road on Monday afternoon.

Firefighters responded in cold water suits and pulled the teen up and anchored to a nearby small island while a life boat came out and then brought him to shore.

"When we arrived we could hear, but we couldn’t see, a male screaming for help," said Westborough Fire Chief Patrick Purcell.

He was hypothermic when rushed to the hospital but is expected to be OK, officials said. Firefighters say they got to him just in time.

Purcell said that his team had just been training on ice rescues just hours before this emergency and carried out the rescue seamlessly.

"I had a vest with me, and Carl just gave me the end of a rope and I was able to make an entry into the water and get to him. And it was getting to the point where he was kind of not being able to hold for himself," said Firefighter Barry Sullivan.

With a life preserver on the victim, Carl Roche helped pull him over the edge and then to land.

"I grabbed the rope, I went to shore - it was a little island not too far from him - and I was able to anchor on the island and pull them both onto the land," Roche said.

Fire Lt. Chris DuBois and Firefighter Jerry Jette pulled the teen onto an inflatable rescue boat, and headed toward the ambulance on shore.

"It was obvious that he was very hypothermic. He was shivering quite a bit, a little confused. So basically the four of us took him and towed him back in to shore, which was quite a distance out there," Jette said.

DuBois said, "We rely on our training, we rely on our instincts, we rely on our equipment, and we got a positive outcome this time."

Purcell is confident his team saved a life.

"I’m pretty proud as their fire chief. It’s pretty emotional thing to watch the capability of your own department," Purcell said.

They have not had a rescue of a person through the ice in years, and have received mostly animal calls recently.

Fire officials in several communities are warning local residents against walking or skating on area ponds, which can be very fragile with fluctuating temperatures.

Cox Media Group