Firefighters rescued a woman who fell through an icy pond while trying to save her dogs in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, on Sunday.
The incident occurred on a pond at the Timber Creek Dog Park off Somerdale Road, police said.
Police told NBC10 a 24-year-old woman was at the park when her two dogs went into an icy pond. The woman tried to save them while standing on ice but fell into the water, investigators said.
Chews Landing Fire Chief Mike Millisky told NBC10 a passerby spotted the woman and called 911.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
“She was lucky enough that someone was walking through the woods and saw her in the water and called 911,” Chief Millisky said. “She probably was there maybe at least 15, 20 minutes before we were actually able to get her.”
Firefighters and medics responded to the scene and spotted the woman and her dogs partially submerged in freezing water about 35 feet from the shoreline. They then used special equipment to rescue the woman and her pets. Police said the woman was taken to the hospital where she is in critical but stable condition.
Chief Millisky shared advice for dog owners walking in any areas with frozen ponds.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
“Keep your dog on a leash so that you can keep the dog at your side versus just running ahead or running out on ice,” he said. “It’s not a fenced-in area and it’s in the middle of the woods.”
