How everyone’s cheering Middletown teens who saved kids from ice

MIDDLETOWN — A group of five township teenagers continues to be cheered for their quick, selfless actions in saving two young children from a sinking inflatable sled last week.

Kieran Foley, Joseph Dietrich, Drew Scalice, Ryan Day and Tyler Armagan, are all freshmen at Middletown High School North, which is hosting a virtual ceremony to celebrate the students on Tuesday evening.

"Mrs. Walker and I are extremely proud of our High School North Freshmen and the swift and decisive actions they took to rescue the two young Heid children from the frozen pond at Beacon Hill Country Club. Each of them truly possesses the heart of a North Lion. They exemplify the character traits we try and instill in all of our students. Their courage and selflessness created a true holiday miracle for everyone involved," Principal Patricia Cartier said in a written statement to New Jersey 101.5 on Monday.

The group of five friends, two of whom have credited their Boy Scout training in part for their quick response, have been interviewed for Good Morning America on ABC and CBS New York, among other TV news outlets.

“There was zero hesitation on the boys’ part,” mom Stephanie Irlbeck previously said in a phone interview with New Jersey 101.5. “There was not a thought of ‘oh my cell phone is going to get wet, my backpack is going to get lost, my new headphones are going to get ruined’ — they all just jumped in.”

Irlbeck, her husband Rich Heid and their children, 8-year-old Olivia and 4-year-old R.J., also have been making the media rounds, sharing how the two siblings are safe in large part due to the teens' fast reaction in Atlantic Highlands on Thursday.