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Two children fall into icy water in Brockton

Published  January 10, 2016 4:24pm EST
FOX 29 Philadelphia

ROCKTON, Mass. -- Two boys who were rescued after falling through an icy pond in Brockton were hospitalized Saturday night.

The 9-and 12-year-olds were cutting across the pond to play football at the park with their friends when they fell through the ice, the three friends told Fox 25.

"We were going to stop them," 9-year-old Carlos Baez said, "but they kept going, and they went in the middle and they fell into the middle."

"When the ice broke, I started crying," 10-year-old Alberto Baez added. "So I went to my mom's friend's house and got my uncle."

While Alberto was getting help, Yandell Benit, 11, was flagging down a driver.

"They got out the car and jumped over the fence, and like broke the ice and took one friend out," Yandell said. "And the other one was still in the water."

Randy Pierce, one of three Good Samaritans who jumped into the pond to help, said he was only up to his knees in the frigid water when he felt he had to get out.

"Nobody could see," Pierce said. "We were basically in there feeling around, looking, going down, jumping up."

The 9-year-old was conscious, but the 12-year-old was in worse shape, under the water for several minutes more.

Multiple police officers jumped into the pond but could not locate the older boy. Firefighters, however, were able to find him and performed CPR.

"One was conscious. He was speaking to me when he came out. He was a little blue in the face, but he was speaking," Pierce said. "The other was non-responsive."

Police confirmed Saturday night that the younger boy was doing well, but the elder had been transferred from Brockton Hospital to a Boston hospital.

The Brockton Enterprise reported that the 12-year-old was in critical condition and had had no pulse, but regained it after CPR.

Police commended the quick actions of the victims' young friends, as well as the Good Samaritans, police and firefighters who jumped into the icy pond.

The boys simply said they had been scared but were focused "to get help and make sure they were okay," Carlos said.