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Jan. 3-Jan. 9, 2020
Boys rescued from Forest Park
pond after falling through ice
A ROYAL EXPERIENCE
BY BILL PARRY
They were on thin ice.
Two boys, ages 9 and 12, had
to be rescued on Christmas
Day after the ice they were
walking on gave way, plunging
them into the waters of
Strack Memorial Pond in
Woodhaven’s Forest Park
around 3 p.m., according to
the FDNY.
A quick-thinking third
boy grabbed a Parks Department
rescue ladder and used
it to help the boys out of the
chilly pond before the FDNY
and NYPD arrived on scene.
The ladder was positioned
near the pond after
a Glendale boy, 11-year-old
Anthony Perez, drowned
while rescuing another boy,
12-year-old Juan Umpierrez,
who had fallen through the
ice at Strack Memorial Pond
in February 2018. Perez had
rushed in to pull his friend
to safety, but he couldn’t get
himself back out of the water
and became trapped under
the ice for up to half and hour
while his Umpierrez ran to
find help.
When first responders arrived
on the scene, firefighters
had to break through
the ice with their hands and
then went into the water to
pull Perez out. Rescuers performed
CPR to try and revive
the boy, but they were unable
to save him.
He was taken to Jamaica
Hospital, where he was pronounced
dead. The two boys
who fell through the ice on
Christmas Day led away
from Strack Memorial Pond
by firefighters who tried to
warm them with white towels
and FDNY turnout coats.
They were transported to Jamaica
Hospital where they
were treated for exposure
and non-life-threatening injuries,
according to an NYPD
spokesman. They are expected
to make full recoveries,
authorities said.
Meanwhile, NYC Parks
Commissioner Mitchell J.
Silver is warning park-goers
in all five boroughs that it is
never safe to venture onto the
ice on the city’s 96 ponds.
“No matter how fun the
ice may look, anyone walking
on the ice is taking a big risk
with their life,” Silver said.
“And, if an ice emergency occurs,
call 911 first, do not at-
Royal Waste and the Greater Royal Alliance for Community Empowerment held their first annual
“Christmas of Love Celebration” on Dec. 22 in Jamaica to help families in need. Photo by Dean Moses
tempt a rescue, leave it to the
professionals.
To warn visitors of the dangers
of thin ice, NYC Parks
posts warning signs around
waterbody perimeters in all
five boroughs. Additionally,
special red ladders are installed
around the edges in
the event of an emergency.
The same type of ladder
that proved effective in Forest
Park on Christmas Day.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at
(718) 260–4538.
Vol. 8 No. 1 36 total pages
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