Fisherman, police tell of rescuing boy from icy pond


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SYRACUSE — The ice at Jensen Nature Park may look thick, but police say it’s no place for kids to play.

Noah Holguin fell through the ice Thursday and was in the water for several minutes. If he were in for any longer, police say, the outcome could have been much worse.

Syracuse police say a fisherman captured video of two boys playing on top of the pond and, within two minutes, heard the boy scream.

Syracuse Police Sgt. Stan Penrod responded to a 911 call about a young boy who had fallen through the ice at 3200 S. Bluff Road around 5 p.m. Off-duty Sgt. Lance Call happened to be there, on an evening job.

“I got out of my car, grabbed a rope and ran to the other side of the pond where Noah (Holguin) was at in the ice, about 15 or 20 feet off the shore,” Penrod said.

Penrod was out about three or four feet when the ice gave way.

“A fisherman that was there grabbed me by the belt and told me, you know, ‘I’ve got you,’” Penrod said.

With the bystander holding on to Penrod, he tried to throw the rope closer to the 11-year-old boy, but it was still too short.

At that point, officer Bill Stone with the Unified Police Department arrived and brought a longer rope, but the boy was not able to grab it after two tosses. Call said he was preparing to get in the water himself in case the third attempt failed.

“After the third toss, I was actually ready to jump in, but fortunately for everyone, myself included, he was able to grab a hold of the rope on the third toss.”

Stone and Penrod pulled the boy out of the water where Call and a few others helped him.

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“As he was getting closer, I noticed the blood on his hands,” Call said. “You could tell how he was trying so diligently to hold on to the ice, his hands and knuckles were bloody, and we could tell that he was very frantic from the experience.”

They quickly removed the boy’s wet clothes, and Call grabbed him, gave him the shirt he was wearing and gave him a bear hug.

“He was cold,” Call said. “I think he really was just in shock. I was pretty warm from my run, to try and transfer my body heat to him and get him warm.”

Paramedics treated the boy and took him to Davis Hospital and Medical Center in Layton for evaluation.

The boy later was released from the hospital in good condition, and Penrod suffered no injuries.

The officers said the incident could have had a tragic ending.

“Where he was at, had he lost his grip on the ice, we think it’s about 15 to 20 feet, and had he gone under the ice, that would have brought on a whole other set of concerns and problems,” Penrod said.

"He was so cold and so tired, we were definitely worried, whether or not he could hold on,” Call said.

Police say Noah was in the ice for several minutes. “Probably in there five to seven minutes. Quite a long time for an 11-year-old to hold on to the ice like that,” Penrod said. “He did great.”

Police warn that the ice can be especially dangerous at times like this, when it warms up and starts to melt.

The boy's mother did not want to be interviewed but said she is grateful for everyone that helped in the rescue.

Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc

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