An ice rescue training exercise on Lake Hopatcong turned into an actuallife-saving mission yesterday, when members of theMorris County Sheriff’s Officeandmultiple first responder agenciessaved an82-year-old man who had fallen through the icenear their emergency drill.
“It is work like this, with our other public safety partners, that makes it all worth it. Responding in a time of need and applying our training to help an individual who is in dire consequences, all with positive outcomes. Saving lives is the purpose of our mission and the reason why we train together and ensure seamless performance,” saidMorris County Sheriff James M. Gannon.
The incident unfolded while theSheriff’s Officewas conducting a joint training alongside theN.J. State Police, Mt. Arlington Police Department, Hopatcong Police Department and the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Policeat Lee’s County Park Marina in Mt. Arlington. An urgent report came in that a man had fallen through the lake ice near the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club on Bertrand Island.
Sgt. Edward Koster of the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, Sgt. Nicholas Vernotica of the Patrol Division, Cpl. Ivan Bajceski and Sheriff’s Officer Ryan Wood of the Emergency Services Unit (ESU)and theN.J. State Police Marine Bureauquickly mobilized to assist in the rescue.
The victim, who had been operating an iceboat on the lake, was observed lying on the ice and his vessel was partially submerged in the broken ice. Three Mt. Arlington firefighters were already making their way across the unstable ice to reach him when Sgt. Koster and Cpl. Bajceski reached the scene with theSheriff’s ESU truckand met the incident commander from the Mt. Arlington Fire Department.
Sgt. Vernotica and Sheriff’s Officer Wood arrived with theSheriff’s Heavy Rescue Truckand deployed theMARSARS® Ice Rescue Sled.While tethered to the shoreline, Sgt. Koster, Cpl. Bajceski andN.J. State Police Trooper Thomas Gilroycarefully advanced across the ice and maneuvered the sled toward the victim, who remained conscious and alert. Mt. Arlington firefighters had secured a sling around him and rescuers placed him onto the sled before signaling the shoreline team to pull him to safety.
As the sled reached the edge of the ice shelf, Sgt. Vernotica, Sheriff’s Officer Wood andMt. Arlington Police Officer Matthew Kaiteriswaded into waist-deep water to carry the victim to solid ground, where he was immediately transferred to St. Clare’s EMS for medical evaluation.
Following the successful rescue, Troopers Gilroy and McClafferty of the N.J. State Police and two Mt. Arlington firefighters later returned to the ice and recovered the man’s iceboat.
The dramatic rescue underscores the dangers of venturing onto the ice and the critical role of specialized training in emergency response.Authorities urge the public to exercise extreme caution on frozen lakes and remain aware of changing ice conditions.