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NEW HARMONY, Washington County — A Washington County sheriff’s sergeant reunited earlier this month with an 8-year-old boy who he rescued from an icy pond on Christmas Day, officials said.
Sgt. Aaron Thompson punched through the ice on Dec. 25 to save Jason, who had fallen into the frozen pond, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. The boy’s last name was not released.
Jason broke through the ice about 25 feet from the shore, officials told KSL on Dec. 25. Another child saw Jason fall and quickly told the boy’s parents.
Jason had no memory of falling through the ice and being rescued, but he reconnected with Thompson on Jan. 1.
Before jumping into the frigid pond to save the boy, Thompson had shed some of his gear. As a token of remembrance, Thompson gave Jason the sheriff’s badge he had taken off before he dove in that day.
In the Facebook post, Thompson and Jason’s family thanked the emergency crews who also took part in the rescue, including dispatchers, medical helicopter crews and hospital staffers.
“The family is humbled by the overwhelming support from both the local community and people across the world,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Contributing: Annie Knox
