Heroic New York police officer jumps into frozen lake to rescue dog
- 2 years ago
This is the tense moment a police officer jumps into a frozen lake to rescue a puppy that had fallen through the ice.
Officer Jonathan Smith, 30, was called to Bond Lake near Lewiston, New York, USA after receiving reports of a Labrador that had fallen in about 50 yards from the shore.
In a heart-in-mouth moment caught on bodycam footage, the brave cop ripped off his equipment and leapt dashed out onto the ice.
The owner of the dog revealed that they had been walking their 10-month-old pup Kona off her lead around the lake at about midday on Wednesday (5/1).
That was when Kona spotted a flock of geese landing on the middle of the lake, and her puppy instincts kicked in, and she ran at them.
Horrified, Kona's owner watched as the dog fell into the freezing water at the boundary where the ice ended.
In an email to Lewiston Police Department, the owner wrote: "Although she is a strong swimmer, there was zero chance of her getting back out onto the ice and she began to panic and tire quickly."
Frantically they called 911, and 15 minutes later Officer Smith and two other officers from the Police Department arrived.
Without hesitation or rescue equipment, the officer removed his vest and gun belt and tiptoed over the ice towards an exhausted Kona.
When he got close enough to her, Officer Smith grabbed the 75lb pooch and pulled her from the water so she was able to run back over the ice to her owner.
In the email, the owner said: "Kona and I and everybody that loves her are extremely grateful for his selflessness and courage.
"His professionalism and bravery should be applauded.
"I have witnessed countless acts of selfless heroism, Officer Jon Smith’s actions rank high in my book."
Kona and her owner plan to visit the station to thank Officer Smith in person.
Lewiston Police Department posted the bodycam footage from the rescue on their Facebook page, along with the message from Kona's owner.
They captioned the video: "We gave him a 6 out of 10 on the landing in the beginning, but a 10 out of 10 for the rescue."
Officer Smith was recently honoured for pulling a woman from a burning building last November, and has been working at Lewiston Police Department since July 2020.
The video was taken on January 5 2022.
Officer Jonathan Smith, 30, was called to Bond Lake near Lewiston, New York, USA after receiving reports of a Labrador that had fallen in about 50 yards from the shore.
In a heart-in-mouth moment caught on bodycam footage, the brave cop ripped off his equipment and leapt dashed out onto the ice.
The owner of the dog revealed that they had been walking their 10-month-old pup Kona off her lead around the lake at about midday on Wednesday (5/1).
That was when Kona spotted a flock of geese landing on the middle of the lake, and her puppy instincts kicked in, and she ran at them.
Horrified, Kona's owner watched as the dog fell into the freezing water at the boundary where the ice ended.
In an email to Lewiston Police Department, the owner wrote: "Although she is a strong swimmer, there was zero chance of her getting back out onto the ice and she began to panic and tire quickly."
Frantically they called 911, and 15 minutes later Officer Smith and two other officers from the Police Department arrived.
Without hesitation or rescue equipment, the officer removed his vest and gun belt and tiptoed over the ice towards an exhausted Kona.
When he got close enough to her, Officer Smith grabbed the 75lb pooch and pulled her from the water so she was able to run back over the ice to her owner.
In the email, the owner said: "Kona and I and everybody that loves her are extremely grateful for his selflessness and courage.
"His professionalism and bravery should be applauded.
"I have witnessed countless acts of selfless heroism, Officer Jon Smith’s actions rank high in my book."
Kona and her owner plan to visit the station to thank Officer Smith in person.
Lewiston Police Department posted the bodycam footage from the rescue on their Facebook page, along with the message from Kona's owner.
They captioned the video: "We gave him a 6 out of 10 on the landing in the beginning, but a 10 out of 10 for the rescue."
Officer Smith was recently honoured for pulling a woman from a burning building last November, and has been working at Lewiston Police Department since July 2020.
The video was taken on January 5 2022.