DUNDEE, Mich. — A 12-year-old boy is safe after falling through the ice in a pond in Dundee Tuesday morning.
The Dundee Police Department and Dundee Fire Department responded at 8:44 a.m. to the pond at Cabela's after a call came in about a person falling through the ice.
The 911 caller, a truck driver for Hungry Howie's pizza, was making a delivery to the store immediately after the boy fell through the ice.
"He heard the boy screaming for help and called 911. He was in the right place at the right time," Deputy Chief Randy Sehl of the Dundee Police Department said in a press release.
Emergency crews made it to the scene within three minutes of the initial call. Upon arrival, crews observed the boy in the middle of the pond in 20-foot water struggling to stay afloat.
Officer Joe Schumaker grabbed personal floatation equipment and began to make his way out to the middle of the pond. Schumaker then fell through the ice but continued to rescue the boy.
Two Dundee men and several Dundee firefighters assisted with a line from shore to help bring the boy and the officer safely back to shore.
Once out of the water, the boy was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital for further treatment.
Schumaker was treated at the scene before returning to duty.
"Hopefully we can prevent a tragedy like this that could have been a tragedy," Schumaker said. "I didn't know how long the little young lad was in the water. Should I have waited for more rescue personnel? I didn't want to take the chance so I just started out there."
The Dundee Police Department and other public service agencies want remind everyone that temperature changes can affect ice thickness and stability quickly and never trust that the ice is safe.
"I would always caution anyone to have someone with them, number one, if they're going to be doing anything on the ice, whether it's fishing or whatever else because this boy might not have been found if it wasn't for this delivery driver," Sehl said. "Always check the ice and err on the side of caution and don't go out on it if there's any question."