A police officer in New Jersey is being hailed as a hero after rescuing an 11-year-old boy by pulling him out of an icy lake on Monday.
Bodycam footage obtained by WLS-TV shows New Jersey police officer Dave Brosonski wading into an icy lake with a rope tied around his waist as he makes his way to the 11-year-old boy.
Watch Below:
Upon exiting the lake, the boy is heard crying as he tells an officer he was in the lake for about five minutes.
“I don’t want to get in trouble,” the boy is heard telling police, to which an officer replies, “No, you’re not going to get in trouble at all.”
Another officer can be heard chiming in, adding, “We’re here to help you, and we’re probably just gonna have you go to the hospital.”
“At 2:41 p.m., police received a call reporting that a child had fallen through the ice at Franklin Lake,” the West Long Branch Police Department explained in a Facebook post.
At 2:41 p.m., police received a call reporting that a child had fallen through the ice at Franklin Lake. Patrolman Dave…
Posted by West Long Branch Police on Monday, February 3, 2025
“Patrolman Dave Brosonski, the first officer on the scene and highly trained in water rescue, arrived to find the child stranded in the middle of the lake,” the police department continued, adding that “without hesitation,” Brosonski “entered the frigid water and successfully rescued the 11-year-old boy.”
“The West Long Branch Police Department is deeply grateful for Officer Brosonski’s swift and heroic actions, as well as for the community members who quickly alerted authorities,” the department added.
The police department concluded its post by also crediting “the West Long Branch Emergency Medical Services and the West Long Branch Fire Department for their response.”
A nearby resident had also arrived on the scene with a rope to make sure the officer did not go under while trying to rescue the boy, according to a report by WABC-TV.
“As I was making my way to the kid in the water I didn’t know if he could potentially go under and if he went under the ice I knew I would have to go get him, so I had the rope attached so I could be pulled back out if I had to go under,” Patrolman Brosonski said.
The depth of the lake where the incident took place varies from four to seven feet, the outlet noted.
West Long Branch Emergency Medical Services added, “As the ice began to crack beneath his feet, he fell through. The lake, only 6 feet deep, allowed him to stand, but the icy water quickly sapped his strength,” according to a report by People.
On Tuesday, police held a press conference where they revealed that the boy made it about 75 yards into the lake from the south side, before falling through a weak spot in the ice, according to a report by Asbury Park Press.
“The only thing going through my mind was, ‘I’m going to get to this kid, give him the help he needed, and bring him back in,'” Brosonski, who is also a water rescue instructor at the Monmouth County Police Academy, said at the Tuesday press conference.
“I feel it was my job,” the officer added. “I would have gone in no matter what for anyone, whether I was working or not working.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
