EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – A group in Wisconsin formed a human chain to save an 8-year-old boy who fell through a sheet of ice and into a frigid river.
The Eau Claire Police Department posted a video of the heroic rescue on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
Police say the child was playing with three other boys near the shore of Phoenix Park at the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers on Sunday.
When the boy went to pick up a piece of litter from the ice, police say he broke through and plunged into the icy river water.
One of the other boys tried to go after him, but he too broke through the ice in the shallows and returned to shore before calling for help, according to police.
Eventually, the boy’s father and an officer, Jason Kaveney, arrived and rushed to the riverbank. The two formed a human chain with other bystanders and were able to pull the boy to safety, but not before the dad also fell into the water, according to the department.
Luckily, police say everyone is doing well.
“This heroic save was made possible by a determined father driven by love and the selfless actions of a faithful guardian of the community,” wrote the department.
