Clearly not enough teenagers are reading signs these days, because another one walked onto thin ice in Central Park on Monday. And the predictable thing happened, according to the Daily News:
The 16-year-old boy tumbled after the frozen surface gave way on Swan Lake near 61st St. and Center Dr. at 1:15 p.m., police said.
Two nearby NYPD counterterrorism officers — Edward Radoncic and Anthony Dispigna — rushed over. Radoncic ventured onto the ice and dragged the shivering teen out to safety. The boy was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center and is expected to be fine…
.@NYPDCT cops rescue teen who fell through icy pond in Central Park
"We were able to comfort him & take him to the hospital." Ofcr Radoncic pic.twitter.com/MSX7XICVb1
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 21, 2017
More Parks workers will be stationed near the lakes and ponds in the park.
In response to the incidents, the city Parks Department said Monday that it would increase its number of uniformed workers around the pond, which is already surrounded by bright green bilingual signs warning people not to go out onto the ice.
Here are some tips from the Parks Department about how to conduct yourself when you’re near thin ice:
– Ponds and lakes may appear frozen, but venturing onto them is extremely dangerous and can cause potentially fatal accidents.
– Ice must be at least 6 inches thick before it can maintain the weight of a person, and to freeze to the right thickness, the temperature must be well below freezing for weeks.
– Determining the strength of ice is extremely difficult, especially for the untrained.
– NYC Parks posts warning signs along the perimeter of the city’s lakes and ponds.
– Special ladders are also installed around the edges for trained personnel to use in the event of an emergency.
These two NYPD officers are heroes and whoever protests the police should read this article.
It’s unfortunate that there are people who are reckless and irresponsible and need to be rescued by the police but this is a whole other story……
Right, because a couple cops doing something good means anything bad the cops have ever done is canceled out.
Glad you agree!
IIRC those warning signs are printed in several different languages. At some point you just cannot fix stupid. Maybe if NYC began charging some of these people (or their parents in the case of minors) for cost of rescue the message would sink in.
Each time this year, thank God, all who have gone onto the ice and fallen through have been rescued with no serious/lasting harm. Law of averages dictates sooner or later this will change and the “ice” will win.
These person not only put themselves in danger but also those who go to their aide to rescue. Just as with drowning in fluid water those attempting to rescue someone who has fallen through ice put themselves in danger of going through as well.
One local evening news that covered this story showed a raccoon who also fell through the ice. The little guy got himself out, but then went right back in again after a bit of drying off. Guess the need to eat outweighed fear of ice.
Totally agree with B.B.
Just like hikers and mountain climbers in some places out west are now being charged for their rescue, so too should these idiots.
Teenagers and older unaware of the dangers of walking out onto a “frozen” body of water?? REALLY?
Sounds like excellent candidates for Esquire’s Darwin Awards.
Should have tazed the imbecile so he remembers next time.
So my tax dollars are wasted protecting these morons from themselves – great. Please let me know what schools these kids go to so I make sure not to send my children there.
Our tax dollars are totally wasted on Trump and his family! The police were doing hey service that is part of their job.
I greatly appreciate the efforts of the police officers. It is a shame that a) they put their lives at risk for these idiots, and b) taxpayers will now have to pay the salaries of even more police officers to prevent this from happening again. The signs warn people about the consequences of their actions. At some point it is time to stop protecting people from themselves.
“IIRC those warning signs are printed in several different languages. At some point you just cannot fix stupid.”
Once these videos hit social media it’s just encouraging other kids to try the same thing. I’m sure there are many more who went out on the ice and didn’t fall through, or if they did we just didn’t hear about it.
Have these kids do community service work. Three cheers for the rescue workers.
Teenagers are stupid – pretty universally. They lack risk-assessment skills and judgment. That is why they are used as cannon fodder. They are also awfully sweet, sometimes, and nearly always poignant, poised between childhood and adulthood.
The natural lack of risk-aversion is heightened when kids are sheltered so long that they actually have no ability to judge whether a frozen lack is safe.
I think community service would be a good idea – both to repay their debt, and to give them some experience of the real world.