TOWN OF NORTH EAST – One teenage boy drowned while a second was able to get out of a pond when they fell through ice at the Taconic State Park in the Town of North East just before 3 p.m. on Friday, February 10.
Dutchess County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Shagroy Road for a report of teens who had fallen through the ice.
When they arrived, they learned one of the two teenagers, who had walked 20 to 30 feet out on the ice, fell through.
One of the subjects was able to get out of the water and call 911; however, the second one was unable to get out.
A dive team and rescue personnel from several agencies recovered the other teen and transported him to Sharon Hospital in Connecticut, where he was later pronounced dead.
The identities of the two boys were initially withheld.
The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by members from numerous agencies, from both New York State and Connecticut including members of the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, New York State Police, New York State Parks Police, New York State Parks, and numerous fire departments from Dutchess County, Columbia County, and Connecticut. In addition, dive teams from the sheriff’s office and Goshen Connecticut Fire Department responded along with the sheriff’s office’s Patrol Bureau, Marine Patrol, Unmanned Aerial Systems Unit (drones), and Detective Bureau.
The sheriff’s office would like to remind everyone to always use extreme caution when walking onto ice, especially during periods of fluctuating temperatures. The sheriff’s office strongly urges people to never walk or skate on ice until you have determined that it is 100 percent safe to do so and there’s someone monitoring you from land that can get help if needed, and never ignore signs that warn people to stay off the ice. Many times, the ice may appear to be safe but isn’t, and needless tragedies can result if it breaks, officials said.
