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Utah Police Face Moment of Terror After Rescuing Autistic Teen from Pond

By Amanda Thomason February 25, 2022 at 11:21am

It was a chilly scene that Martin Kolman and his dog, Enzo, came upon last Wednesday just before noon. As the two were out walking in Ogden, Utah, near a local pond on Feb. 9, they spotted disaster brewing.

A 17-year-old and a 19-year-old had walked out onto the ice and fallen through. One of the young men managed to climb out on his own, but the other was trapped in the freezing water.

Thankfully, other passers-by noticed, too, and called 911.

Kolman, who knew the area and pond like the back of his hand, went out on the ice to try to help the other teen and ended up falling in himself.

“I’m a water skier so I ski on this lake … till it freezes,” he told KTSU-TV. “So I know most parts of the lake: how deep it is, that cold water — if you’re calm, you can stay in it for a little while.”

Ogden police officers showed up a short while later, and some of them carefully made their way out on the ice, eventually shimmying across the thin crust to try to reach the two in the water.

Unfortunately, two officers fell into the water as well, and when Weber County deputies arrived and went out on the ice to help, they also fell in.

“Adrenaline at that point was so high,” police Lt. Mark Horton said.

Thankfully, other officers brought a ladder and threw ropes to those in the water, and eventually, everyone made it out safe.

All the while, Enzo kept racing back and forth, splashing into the water and then clawing his way out, running to and from the shore wagging. Whether it was a canine attempt to help in the rescue endeavors or just his enjoying the excitement of the situation was unclear.

The whole scene would have been a bit humorous if it weren’t so dangerous.

“After much effort, officers were able to rescue the victim from the ice,” the Ogden Police UT Facebook page shared in a post along with bodycam footage of the rescue.

“None of the officers or persons involved had significant injuries. We are grateful for the concerted effort of both law enforcement agencies working together to rescue the male. We are also grateful no one sustained serious injuries.

“We ask citizens to please be cautious around water where ice is present. In this season of ever-changing weather, it is uncertain as to the integrity of the ice.”

Ogden Police Sgt. Will Farr recognized the role the civilian good Samaritans had to play that day.