Teen, officer help save 3 children who fell through ice covered pond in Collingdale
COLLINGDALE, Pa. - A Delaware County teen's quick thinking helped save a trio of kids who fell through an ice-covered pond on an unseasonably warm winter day.
16-year-old Anthony Alexander was at Collingdale Park around 3 p.m Monday when he heard children screaming from a small, 8-foot deep pond.
"I was like 'oh snap, they're drowning!' so I had to save them I couldn’t just let them sit there," Alexander recalled.
He used a log to pluck one girl to safety and dragged another boy from the frigid water.
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"They were like ‘help me, help me, help me. We are going to die'," Alexander said. "They were like ‘we are going to di!’ and I’m like ‘Nah, you ain’t going to die.’"
Collingdale Police Officer Patrick Kilroy arrived on scene and waded into the water to rescue the third child, an 11-year-old girl.
"I was submerged up to my neck out at the deepest point getting to her," Kilroy said.
The three young children and Officer Kilroy were taken to local hospitals and are expected to be OK.
The Academy Park High School Sophomore said he’d do it all again if he had to.
"They really needed help, so I was like I was going to help them. I wasn’t going to sit there and let them drown like that," Alexander said.
Kilroy joined Good Day Philadelphia on Tuesday to tell the story about his heroic efforts.
Police officer who helped save three children from icy pond in Collingsdale shares the story
A teen and a police officer in Delaware County are being called heroes for helping save three kids who fell through an ice-covered pond. FOX 29's Shaynah Ferreira speaks to the officer on "Good day Philadelphia."
He said he came to the park just before 3:00 p.m. on Monday for a report of a drowning. As he approached the pond, he saw Alexander helping two of the children out of the water.
That's when he jumped into action and saved the third child from the water.
Kilroy is urging parents to speak to their children about the importance of staying away off the ice and away from ponds. "Any time of the year it can always be dangerous, especially if you don't know what's underneath," he said.
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